Fracture
by Aura Spirit
Summary: Inklings don't have bones, but that doesn't mean other parts of them can't fracture... when a string of kidnappings take place, Marie is caught in a dark spiral of disappearances and murder. Rated M, due to gory content and other stuff down the line.
1. Disappeared

**I really need to get round to finishing Memory's Prison, but this idea just refused to get out of my head. So now you're getting a distant sequel to Misha the Giant, which will be pre-emptively M-rated, as at some point it'll get very dark, very quickly. Enjoy.**

Two figures sat each side of a table. One was an urchin with grey-tipped red spines wearing a guard's uniform. The other was an Inkling wearing a suit, flecks of green glittering in his golden eyes. His crimson tentacles were tied behind his head. The guard met his gaze and let out a deep sigh.

"You want to talk to her."

"Yes."

"You are aware that she isn't who she was, given what happened a year ago?"

"I'm aware."

"And what exactly do you hope to achieve by talking to her?"

"Truth as to what happened before, and what's happening now. You've heard of the latest string of missing person reports?"

"Yes."

"Well, I believe she can help, if she still has knowledge of the events that transpired last year."

"I need you to read this then."

The urchin slid a piece of paper across the table, and the suited Inkling signed it, sliding it back over. Sighing again, the guard stood up.

"Follow me."

The urchin led the Inkling into a circular room with a glass wall leaving about a meter of space between it and the outer wall. A door was set into the glass, and the urchin unlocked it. They stepped into another glass corridor, the next door diametrically opposite to where they just came in. The urchin slid the key into the next one and pushed it open. As the inkling stepped inside, he grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't let her talk her way into her head. She has a habit of tormenting people."

"Got it. Thank you, officer."

The Inkling stepped inside and saw another glass wall. This time, the space behind was filled with mist. The guard shut the door behind the Inkling as he approached the glass cage. He tried to look through the glass, but found that the mist blocked his view.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

Silence. The Inkling paced around the cage, seeing nothing but white inside all the way around. Then, a distinctly female voice rang out.

"You're new... I haven't smelled you before."

The officer's voice range out.

"We keep her in water vapour so she doesn't get too feisty between visits."

"Officer Hizo, this is not my normal visitor."

"Be quiet, Gemini."

"Hizo, can you remove the mist? I want to see her. Let me see Gemini."

"One moment."

A hissing filled the cage as the mist began to dissipate, the visibility slowly raising as the mist vanished. A pair of feet, bound to the centre of the cage became visible, followed by legs. A straight jacket came into view followed by the bottom of a muzzle. Gemini stood, and the Inkling gasped. Placing his hands on the glass. The last of the mist cleared, and "Gemini" looked at him with a neutral expression.

"Tell me your name."

"I'm not going to-"

"Tell me your name."

He looked at the camera in the room, and got no response. He turned to "Gemini".

"My name is Vytus, but you already knew that, Marie."

The golden eyes he had fallen in love with were no longer the same colour. They had tarnished, and appeared dull, clear strands of black trailing from the edge of her eyes to her cross-shaped pupils.

"Vytus..." She inhaled again, closing her eyes as she did so. "With the mist gone... I do recognise your smell."

"You remember me?" Vytus leant on the glass, tears threatening to overcome him. Marie leant her head on the glass, her tarnished eyes staring into his.

"You smell delicious."

Vytus' hope evaporated in an instant, and tears dropped to the ground.

"You don't remember, do you?"

"Yes. I would never forget something as delectable as you."

Vytus ran a finger over his arm, shuddering at a memory. Marie returned to the centre of her cage, sitting on the single chair that occupied the room with her. Vytus remained standing.

"Marie, have you heard the news?"

"Do you see a screen in here, Vytus?"

He winced. Her tongue was as sharp as ever.

"Never mind. In short, there's been a series of disappearances that match the descriptions of the disappearances that occurred last year. Signs of a struggle, no remains of the victim or the assailant. I understand that you were a victim, in one instance. Can you tell us about it?"

"You may want to sit down, Vytus." Hizo opened the door and carried a chair in before leaving. Vytus eyed Marie with suspicion before sitting. "This is a long story."

 **-One Year Ago, Two Years After Atra's Imprisonment-**

 **-Flounder Heights-**

Callie walked through the apartment she shared with Marie, taking a deep breath before opening the door. Inside, Marie was lying on her bed, her eyes red with tears and an empty box of tissues next to her. She was lying in the foetal position, her arms clutching her knees to her chest. A beautifully written letter lay on the desk. Stepping around the plates and cups strewn across the floor, Callie sat on the bed, gently stroking Marie's head. The latter's suit was stained with inky tears.

"I miss them too."

The pair sat there for a while, sobbing into each other's arms. Captain Cuttlefish and Misha the giant had both been taken from them in a callous attack from the leftover remnants of the Blue Ring- the final two operatives had poisoned Cuttlefish and dismembered Misha before freezing the remains and shattering them, snatching them away from the sisters forever. The two operatives had not left the apartment alive; their insides had taken hours to clean away. However, today had been the funeral. Callie and Marie had kept it together through the service and had been the ones to light the match for each burial boat. One the way back, however, Marie had totally lost it, retreating to her room and very audibly crying her eyes out. She was beyond consolation, so Callie had simply left her to it, bringing her the occasional plate of food and drink. Marie's sobs had grown quiet as Callie continued to stroke her head, reduced to sniffing and shaking.

"Hey, if you don't feel up to it, I can do the news report myself for the next few days."

She was met with a few whimpers in response. Callie leant down, listening.

"S... Sure..."

"I'll be back soon."

Callie left the room, taking a deep, shuddering breath before getting changed out of her funeral attire and putting on a more cheery dress. She left the apartment, making sure to lock the door behind her before she super jumped to Inkopolis, walking into the studio and sprucing up before standing in front of the camera. The anemone behind the camera counted her in. Callie plastered a fake smile onto her face.

"Hold onto your tentacles, it's Inkopolis news time! Now, you may notice that Marie isn't here. We've had a bit of a personal problem that she's having a little trouble dealing with. Please give her some space for the time being."

She waited for the audio cue that was the screen behind her before talking through the stages. When she was cleared, she stepped outside, buying some essentials before jumping back to the apartment. She immediately went back into Marie's room, sitting down with her and embracing her.

"We can get through this. We can get through this."

* * *

She never told her cousin, but when Callie was off doing her news reports, Marie left the apartment, strolling around the parks surrounding Flounder Heights. She found it easier to think on her own in the cold air, her breath condensing into mist in front of her. She followed a less trodden path into a clearing and sat on the bench there- her own personal area, where she couldn't be touched. She closed her eyes and shivered slightly, allowing the cold to numb her fingers slightly before she crammed her hands in her pockets, warming them up again before repeating the process. It was almost therapeutic, much like meditation for her as she played her memories of Cuttlefish and Misha over in her head, the tears coming again as the cold truth hit her again- she would never hear their voices again, never hear them laugh, or argue or boast about their exploits in the field. They were both completely insane, but they were family. Marie's sobs filled the clearing, tiny plumes of mist floating from her tears as they ran down her face. Her head shot up when she heard a twig snap, two pale hands held above a mass of tentacles. Marie's eyes widened as an Octoling stumbled into the clearing, collapsing onto her knees while keeping her hands in the air.

"Please..." She said. "Help us."

The Octoling collapsed, and Marie still sat there, wide-eyed and on the brink o catatonia as another hand entered the clearing, checking the vitals of the one who had collapsed. With shaking hands, Marie had called Callie, almost screaming when her cousin landed next to her, unsure as to what to make of the scene before her. With a sigh, she had held out a hand to them, offering to help carry the unconscious Octoling into Inkopolis' hospital.

* * *

The refugees had trickled in after that, Octarians who had been forced into service now free of the Blue Ring's tyranny, all because of a chance encounter in a clearing. Needless to say, Callie had ensured Marie either stayed inside of went with her when she went out.

A few days later, Marie was back on-set, giving her usual snappish retorts to Callie's comments. She was by no means recovered, but she was at least functioning with some degree of normality. The next few reports, however, had Callie worried. She wasn't sure how her cousin would react to the news of kidnappings.

"Five minutes."

"Got it."

Callie walked over to Marie, reports in hand. She was staring into her drink, lost in thought again. She sat across from her, placing her hands around hers.

"Hey, are you sure you want to do these reports? There's some pretty distressing stuff here."

Looking up from her drink, she read the papers.

"I'll be fine."

"You sure? I know you're still a bit... Iffy with stuff like this."

"I'll be _fine_ , Callie."

"Alright, if you say so. We're on in..." She checked her phone. "Four minutes."

After doing some breathing exercises to make sure she didn't hyperventilate on-screen, Marie stepped in front of the camera and nodded. Their opening theme played.

"Hold onto your tentacles..." Callie started.

"It's Inkopolis news time!" Marie finished.

"Before we announce the stage rotation, we have an important piece of news."

Marie took a deep breath, the screen behind her lighting up with the faces of six missing Inklings.

"These Inklings are missing. There is a kidnapper on the loose."

"If you have any sort of useful information, don't hesitate to inform the authorities."

They finished the rest of their report, Marie rushing outside once the camera had switched off. Callie trailed behind her.

"You okay?"

"I... I almost lost it there."

She sniffed, and Callie embraced her.

"Hey, come on. You're better than this."

"M-miss Marie?"

The sisters' heads shot up, Callie directing an absolutely filthy glare at the Octoling who had approached. The poor creature faltered, fear evident in her neon eyes. Callie noticed the CD in her hands, recognising the cover art to be their own.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I-I really shouldn't have come here..."

Marie looked up, saw the CD, and softened.

"N-no, it's fine. Come on, come closer."

The Octoling looked between the friendly look Marie was giving her and the hard glare of Callie before taking a small step forward, holding the CD forward.

"I was hoping you could sign this..."

"Hey, we'd be happy to... Right Callie?"

Marie gave her cousin a warning glance. The latter patted herself down and produced a marker pen, handing it to Marie. The Octoling's eyes lit up when she saw it. Marie took hold of the CD.

"Who am I making this out to?"

"Oh! Uh, Mira..."

"To... Mira..." Marie spoke unconsciously as she wrote. "Enjoy... We hope... You always... Enjoy our music."

Marie signed it, Callie following suit before the former handed it back to Mira, who clutched the box to her chest and gave a quick bow.

"Thank you s-so much" she stuttered before running off, Marie's smile persisting even as thoughts of the recent kidnappings sprung to mind.

 _I'm sure we'll solve that problem soon._

The sisters decided to walk back the Flounder Heights, the hundreds of Inklings that hung around the plaza keeping a respectful distance away, to Callie's confusion and satisfaction. They carried on walking even as the snow began to fall, the flakes causing a slight tingle of pain where they hit exposed flesh. They walked in silence, Callie not willing to distract Marie from her thoughts- the latter was clutched onto Callie's arm, her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. Callie smiled too; she was fairly sure this was the first time she had seen her cousin smile since the funeral.

The silence was shattered when Marie's phone burst into life, the shrill tone carrying through the frigid air. Her eyes opened, and she dug the device from her pocket, checking the name before holding it up to her ear, immediately moving her head away when an excited voice crackled through.

"Marie? Where are you? I'm stood outside your apartment!"

With barely a second's hesitation, Marie super jumped, Callie rolling her eyes and following after her. Inside, outside the door to their apartment, was a green-haired girl in a suit and trench coat restlessly pacing up and down the corridor, an enormous gun sat by the wall. Her eyes lit up when she saw the sisters, and she ran forward, trapping Marie in a crushing hug. She laughed.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't stay around after the funeral, I was just so busy." She released Marie, ignored Callie's protests and embraced her too. "How are you both?"

Marie let out a short sigh. "I'm... Recovering, still. It's been hard."

She unlocked the door to the apartment and waved the smaller girl inside, sitting her down at the table while Callie locked up again.

"Can I get you anything to drink, Corlu?"

"Sure, juice'll be fine."

Marie set a glass of juice down and sat down across from Corlu with a drink of her own.

"So, what've you been doing, Corlu? Have you got a job?"

She smiled.

"Two, actually. In my free time, I'm on-call for across-the-phone counselling for the refugees. But, the rest of the time..." She placed a metallic badge on the table, a stylised "SI" embossed on an octogram of steel. Marie gasped. A wreath surrounded the two letters.

"You became a Senior Investigator in just two years?"

Callie's head popped around the corner.

"She did what?"

She walked over to the table and sat down, gesturing for Corlu to continue.

"Yeah, once all that stuff with Atra had been sorted, I may have applied to the forces to do part-time training. Turns out I'm a bit of a prodigy. They said I only had to pass my final exams to become an investigator, and I got a distinction in both. Since then I've been working in the field."

Marie was shocked. Callie looked shocked. Corlu looked smug.

"That's amazing! Well, well done to you!" Marie leaned forward. "So what's your latest case?"

"We've been on the trail of the kidnapper you mentioned in the news today. It's pretty nasty stuff. Do you want me to continue?"

"Sure, by all means."

"Alright, if you say so. Basically, there have been six kidnappings so far. All happened on the same night, but in opposite parts of town. That means that there must be an organisation at work. In each of the houses, there were signs of a struggle and no trace of the victim. No ink, nothing. But, at each crime scene, there was a weird black liquid. Now, you cannot tell anyone I showed you this."

She reached into her pocket and set down a vial of thick, black liquid. Marie picked it up, arching a brow at how heavy it was before setting it down.

"Do you know what it is?"

"No, but we have picked up traces of Batrachotoxins and Tetrodotoxins in there. It's nasty stuff. We haven't found any bodies yet, so we don't know if this is murder, or a kidnapping. But we're treating it like it could become a mass-murder, since poison is one of the two things we know of that can kill an Inkling permanently, the other being ice."

The trio sat in silence for a few seconds before Callie spoke.

"New subject! Corlu!" She slammed her hand down on the table, leaning forward. "Is there anyone else in your life?"

"No, not at the moment. I've just been too busy. However..." She gave a sidelong glance at Callie. "I've seen you walking around before with quite the sharp-looking man." She wiggled her eyebrows while Callie gasped and blushed.

"He's not my- forget it. Yes, I'm going for him."

Her head hit the table in embarrassment. Corlu and Marie laughed.

"Do we get to hear his name?"

"No!"

"Does it start with a Z?"

"No."

"Y?"

"No."

"X?"

"No."

"W?"

"No.

"V?"

"N-no."

"Ah-ha! It does start with a V!"

"If it tell you his name, will you stop?"

"Oh, of course! We're all girls here."

"Vytus."

"He sounds… exotic."

"He's not from Inkopolis, alright? Can we please stop talking about it now?"

"Sure, sure." Both Marie and Corlu stifled giggles.

 _It's been too long_. Marie thought. _Too long since we've sat together like this_.

"We should really do this more often. I mean, seriously. We have so much to catch up on right now." Marie explained.

"Well…" Corlu started. "My line of work keeps me very busy, as you know. I don't get a lot of time in Inkopolis. But I'm sure we'll be seeing each other more often now."

"Do you want to stay here for the night, Corlu?"

"Awww, you're too kind! I'll take you up on that. It means we can keep talking." She leaned in close and whispered loudly. "And needle Callie for info on her new boyfriend."

"He's- ugh!"

Callie left the room, and Marie and Corlu burst out laughing again.

 **And there you have the first chapter. Please let me know your opinion in the Reviews, and if you think something was done badly, please let me know what, so I don't make the same mistake again.**


	2. Missing no Longer

**Long story short, I was without an internet connection for a while, sorry for the wait. Enjoy.**

 **-Present-**

"So there was a kidnapping?" Vytus asked.

"Six Inklings taken from their homes in the various districts of Inkopolis, all on the same night."

"So there must have been at least six people working together to accomplish the kidnapping."

"Are you going to let me continue with my story?"

Her cold eyes stared into his, and he quickly shut up.

"By all means."

 **-Past-**

Marie was woken up the next morning by Callie knocking on her door.

"Marie, come on, you need to get up." She waited for a response and got none. "Do not make me come in there!"

Marie stretched and yawned, her arms quickly clutching the covers around herself when Callie opened the door.

"Come on, hurry up! We've got to do a report in half an hour!"

"Yeah, yeah."

She waited for the door to close before standing up and stretching again, throwing gown on and trudging to the bathroom, freshening up before walking back to her room, more awake thanks to her shower. She put on her usual dress, tying back her hair and smoothing herself down before stepping into the kitchen eating a hasty breakfast while Callie stood by the door, tapping her foot impatiently. The pair both screamed when a voice rang out from the couch.

"Hey, where are you two off to?"

The _sisters_ burst out laughing as Corlu fell from the furniture; they had both completely forgotten the girl was there. She looked at them bemusedly, checking the time on her phone and blanching.

"It's ten to seven in the morning? Why?" She asked, prolonging the why for far longer than she needed to.

"News reports can't wait. Gotta fly, see you later!"

Callie dragged Marie from the apartment and super jumped to the studio, bursting through the door and snatching the sheaf of papers that were handed to her, scanning through it quickly.

"Right, alright, that's fine. She can handle that."

"I can handle what?" Marie took the paper from Callie and read it herself. "I can handle that."

The pair took their positions, waiting for the opening theme to play. They were counted in, the "ON AIR" sign flashing with the countdown.

"Hold onto your tentacles..."

"It's Inkopolis news time!"

"We have been told that police are now actively searching for the missing Inklings."

"Remember to let them know if you know anything!"

"We also have some special news."

A graphic design showing two teams of Inklings fighting over a series of circles appeared.

"In three days, there will be a memorial battle in memory of Misha the giant and Captain Cuttlefish."

"Participation isn't competitive, and there is no reward. It's a way to show respect in the way Misha loved- battling!"

"On Cuttlefish's side of things, there will be free biscuits. Please show up to pay your respects!"

"Stage rotation" flashed on the prompt.

"And now for the standard rotation!" Moray Towers appeared behind them. "Marie! What's your advice?"

"Chargers are very useful here."

Arowana Mall appeared next.

"I'd love to come here as soon as I can..."

"Just don't be distracted when battling!"

"And now for the Ranked Rotation, for Rainmaker!"

Bluefin Depot appeared.

"I'm surprised this place has t been scrapped yet."

"That's because they did a good job building it, Callie."

Port Mackerel appeared.

"Yes! The perfect place for Roller ambushes!"

"But also lots of lines of sight for Chargers."

"That's all for now." Callie said.

"And remember..." Marie started.

"Stay fresh!" They both finished, the "ON AIR" sign switching off. Callie glanced at Marie as the latter let out a breath she had been holding. Callie embraced her.

"You alright?"

"Yeah." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to go for a walk, that's all."

"You sure?" Marie nodded, pleading with her eyes. Callie's protests crumbled before they formed. "Alright, be careful then."

Marie stepped outside, and jumped back to the apartment, sliding out of her dress and putting a thicker shirt and pants on, along with a scarf before heading out the door again. She noticed that there was a not on the table.

 _Hi, thanks for letting me crash here, but I had to pop off for work, so I'll see you soon._

 _-Corlu_

Marie shrugged on a large coat and pulled up the hood before leaving the building, heading into the park, ice and snow crunching underfoot. She liked the early morning, it meant that not many people were there to interrupt her train of thought, or have the guts to ask her for an autograph. She sighed.

 _I don't understand why people are so afraid to talk to me. Maybe it's Callie, keeping watch._

She giggled and kept walking, the sun continuing its slow ascent over the horizon, the light stretching the shadows on the trees to surreal lengths. Marie made her way through the trees, going off the beaten path to the clearing she spent so much time in. She sat down on the bench, simply watching the wind shift the branches- she loved the evergreen trees here, their colour a stark contrast to the barren branches of the other trees surrounding them. Truth be told, Marie preferred the winter, content with the simple fact the she could pile on as many layers as she wanted to stay warm, unlike in summer. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply and meditating. She had discovered that the action of sitting still, eyes closed and breathing deeply had made coping with death so much easier. The early morning silence only helped her calm down. She ignored the cold air gnawing at her exposed face and hands and sat cross-legged, resting her hands on her knees. She drew in a breath, held it, and released it, the mist spiralling away from her. She repeated the process even as her hands went numb, only opening her eyes when a twig snapped, followed by a faint squeak. Marie opened her eyes, scanning the trees and catching a red flash.

"Hey, who's there? Come out, you don't have to hide."

From behind a tree emerged an Octoling, her eyes wide with fear and face red with shame. Marie beckoned her over, rubbing her hands together to regain feeling in them. The Octoling approached, and closer up, Marie recognised her.

"Hey, your name's Mira, right?"

Mira nodded, and Marie uncrossed her legs and moved down the bench allowing her to sit.

"So, why are you out here all by yourself?"

"I f-followed y-y-you."

"Hey, come on, you don't have to be scared of me." She looked at her follower and realised she was shivering in just a simple shirt. "Oh, you're not wearing any winter gear! Come here."

Marie unzipped her coat, exhaling with discomfort when the cold hit her before sitting closer to Mira and placing the fluffy material around her. She immediately wrapped her arms around Marie, her warmth conducting into her. After a few minutes, she stopped shivering.

"So, why did you follow me out here?"

"I didn't have anyone else to talk to."

"Hah, that's not surprising. Not many Inklings get up this early. Where do you stay? Because now that I think about it, you were the first refugee I saw in this same exact clearing."

"About twenty of us are staying at the public house. It was taken over by a charity who wanted to help us, so it wasn't just the homeless Inklings staying there."

"And are you treated well?"

"Yeah, better than we were treated in the Octospheres."

A thought crossed Marie's mind. She opened her mouth, stopped and reconsidered, before ultimately deciding to ask anyway.

"Mira, if you don't mind me asking, what was life like in the Octospheres? I've only been there recovering Zapfish."

"It was nice enough, when there was enough power, seasons and all of the day-night stuff." She faltered, and sobbed. "But when the Blue Ring started stealing the Zapfish, they took over, it became very... Military. They ruled with totality, making sure everyone knew they were in charge. They stole from us, and made sure any fit, young person was drafted." She moved away, lifting the sleeve of her shirt to show Marie the number burnt into the flesh of her shoulder. "They branded us to make sure we could be found. After they were stopped, there was nothing stopping the Octarians who wanted out. No-one wanted to go first, so five of us came out at the same time. You found me and my friend."

"Is your friend okay? She was in pretty bad shape. She collapsed right in front of me."

"She's fine. She's helping out at the refugee centre now."

"Well that's good of her."

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, watching as the shadows grew shorter as the sun rose, the morning mist beginning to burn off. Marie closed her eyes again, slowing her breathing while Mira stayed snuggled against her. She must have dozed off for a few minutes at one point, because the next thing she knew, Mira was shaking her, whimpering as she did so. Marie opened her eyes, saw that Mira was on the brink of tears and followed her pointing. Staring into the trees, Marie went cold when she saw that there was an eyeless Inkling staring back at her, its head tilted as it stood there. She reflexively pulled Mira closer, inspecting the Inkling the best she could from a distance.

It had no eyes, that much was apparent from her current position. Looking closer, she noticed its tentacles were pitch black, an absolute absence of the colour that defined the Inklings and set them apart. They wore a long coat, the heavy fabric covering their arms and body completely, their black hair giving the illusion of a hood. The most disturbing fact was that there was no mist trailing from its nose or mouth- it wasn't breathing. Marie wished she had brought her Charger with her.

"W-what is that?"

"I don't know, Mira, but I don't think we should get close."

No sooner had the words left her mouth when she blinked, and it was right in front of her. She screamed, trying to back away from it before remembering her companion; she shielded her instead. The Inkling continued to stare at her, and Marie could now see the black liquid that seemed to leak from its mouth.

 _Batrachotoxin and Tetrodotoxins_. She remembered Corlu saying. _It's real nasty stuff._

Slowly, agonisingly slowly, it began to reach for Marie. She slid her phone into her hand and took several pictures before remaining very still, holding her breath as its hand crept closer to her head. Another twig snapped, and it turned its head, its hand stopping millimetres from her eyes. It moved back, melting into the trees as Callie rounded the corner. The sister turned into the clearing and frowned when she saw Marie shielding an Octoling from an unseen threat. As she got closer, she could hear the Octoling whispering.

"Is it gone?"

"I... I think so."

"Marie!" Callie shouted. "Who's this?" She asked, pointing to Mira, who was now peeking out from under the coat.

"This is Mira. She's one of the refugees."

"Uh-huh, so why is she under your coat?"

"I-I don't have my own..." Mira responded meekly.

"I'd recommend getting one. Winter's going to get a whole lot colder before it begins to warm up again."

"Okay..."

"Now, there was something I wanted to talk to Marie about in private. Do you know your way back to the refugee centre?"

"Yes." She wriggled out of Marie's coat, some of her tentacles hitting the sister in the face as she did so. "Bye..." She mumbled before setting off at a run. Callie watched her go with a raised eyebrow before turning to Marie.

"So you were providing warmth."

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Admit it: you kind of liked her, didn't you?"

"What?" A blush erupted across Marie's face. Callie folded her arms.

"Come on, that much was clear. No-one shares a coat like that without it meaning something. I mean, why didn't you just take it off completely? You've got a huge jumper on underneath that."

"Because... I..." She folded. "Maybe a little bit." She mumbled, and Callie cracked a smile.

"Alright, enough teasing. The machine has gone off again."

"Another message from on high? What sort of argument was on it this time?"

"There were a few different ones, so I just went with the one I knew what both sides were."

"And that was...?"

"Snow holidays versus sun holidays."

"I'm taking Snow holidays. There is no way I'm letting you take them."

"I thought you would. In any case, you need to design your team's tee before we announce it, so come on." Callie took Marie by the hands and hauled her too her feet, the pair walking back to Flounder Heights. The thought of the eyeless Inkling caused Marie to shudder, and she thought about telling Callie, but decided against it, figuring they had enough to worry about as it was.

* * *

Two days later, Callie and Marie were stood in front of the camera, giving their Splatfest announcement and the teams they were representing.

"The sun, the sea, the sand! You really can't beat a sunny holiday!"

"But skiing, snowboarding and snowballs are so much fun! Snow holidays are much better!"

"But Marie, the cold's awful! You can't go outside without your face going numb!"

"But you can put on as many layers as you want to stop that. You can't take off as many layers as you want in the sun, that's just... Lewd."

"Make sure you vote for your favourite team for the Splatfest next week!"

"Sun or snow? Make your decision!"

The pair gave their stage report before leaving the stage, Marie almost immediately wrapping up warm, much to Callie's chagrin.

"Going for another walk?"

"Yep."

Marie turned away and mimed an exaggerated "be careful" as Callie said it. She walked into the cold air, super jumping to the entrance to the park and beginning the walk to her usual spot. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, however, the eyeless Inkling from the other day a near-constant thought in her head. She shuddered. She didn't know what sort of prank someone was playing, but she sure as hell didn't like it. Pulling her scarf up to her chin c she shivered and carried on walking, turning into the trees and heading towards the clearing. When she emerged into her spot, the first thing that hit her was the smell- an awful necrotic stench that clawed at both her nose and eyes. She pinched her nose shut, and went utterly still when she saw the grotesque sight before her. Above her were five of the six missing Inklings. They hung naked in the trees, impaled on the branches, the once-green leaves now saturated with black vitriol. Each body was covered in blemishes, their dark veins standing out against their pale, dead flesh. Bloody pits sat where their eyes should have been, and looking down, the orbs were neatly stacked in a pyramid on the bench.

Marie couldn't help herself, she screamed, threw up, and continued screaming, sobbing uncontrollably at the nightmare she had stumbled into. With shaking hands, she fumbled her phone from her pocket, dialling Callie.

"Sis? What is it?"

"C-c-clearing..."

Barely a second after saying that, Marie fainted, her phone falling from her grip and clattering to the ground.

"Marie? Marie!"

Moments later, Callie landed, brandishing a Splattershot, retching when the smell hit her. She saw Marie on the ground, checking her vitals before looking up and recoiling at the sight of the butchered Inklings in the trees. She immediately pulled her own phone out, choking on the smell as she did so.

"Yeah. Police. I think..." She held the phone away while she retched again. "I think I've found a murder scene."

* * *

Marie came to in a hospital bed. She noticed she was in a padded room.

"H-hello?"

She couldn't remember what had happened when she had passed out, only that she had been out walking. She coughed, wincing at how dry her throat was. She tried to push herself up, only to realise that she was in a straitjacket. Frowning, she sat up, noticing the bottle next to the bed with a straw poking out. She took a sip- fruit juice.

She turned around when someone opened the door to her room.

"Why am I here?" She immediately asked the doctor.

"Please, take a seat."

Marie eyed the doctor with suspicion before following his suggestion, sitting on the edge of her bed. He was short, even by Inkling standards, and wore a pale blue coat. Thin spectacles rested on his face, and he had his tentacles tied back. Under one arm, he carried a file, and under the other, a folding chair. He unfolded the chair and set it down just in front of Marie, who just stared at him as she waited to be told what was happening.

"My name is Doctor Tesh. Now, you asked why you were here. That question has a complicated answer that you may not want to hear before I give you a bit of context as to what happened before you blacked out in the clearing. Do you remember?"

Marie tried to think back, but found that she could not. She shook her head.

"That makes sense, since we were forced to give you amnestics to stop you from screaming. What you saw clearly disturbed you."

"Why am I in a straitjacket?"

"Put simply, you weren't fully unconscious. You were thrashing around, and we thought that you were putting yourself at risk. So, we moved you into this room and put you in a straitjacket as a precaution."

Marie nodded.

"What's in the file?"

"Pictures of the crime scene you found. I'm not going to go straight there, because I feel you may just relapse if we show you those images. However..." Tesh opened his file and took out a photo of the faces of six Inklings and held it out to Marie. She reached out to take it before remembering her arms were restrained. She looked at it instead.

"Do these six Inklings mean anything to you?"

"These... These were the ones who went missing. That was a few days ago."

Tesh winced.

"Ah, yes. Well, you were catatonic for quite some time."

"How long have I been here?"

Tesh sighed.

"Five days."

A pit opened up in Marie's stomach. That meant she had missed the memorial battle, and she was going to miss Splatfest unless she was released in two days, which seemed unlikely to her.

"Now, I understand there was going to be a memorial battle for someone the day after you were brought in. However, your cousin had it postponed indefinitely while you recover. You may still miss Splatfest, however, depending on how quick you recover. Quick recoveries aren't unheard of, but they're few and far between." He stood up and checked his watch, folding his chair before crossing the room. "We're sorry that we have to leave you in here, but it's for your own safety."

"But I'm sane! I'm not thrashing around anymore!"

"We're sorry, you just have to put up with it for a few days while we… observe. We don't take liberties with anyone here. We hope you understand that."

Marie whimpered as the door was shut again, leaving her with nothing but silence to accompany her.


	3. Small Luxuries

**Boom, second chapter today. I had a lot of time, so enjoy your double helping of Fracture.**

 **-Past-**

Time lost most of its meaning while Marie sat in her cell, Doctor Tesh having reluctantly refused to remove her straitjacket. She only had three meals a day to break the monotony. It wasn't her confinement that caused her the most frustration, it was the fact that the most basic of tasks aside from drinking through a straw had to be done by a doctor. She had to endure being fed by someone else and even going to the toilet with someone else- it made her blood boil, making her feel like an infant.

When Tesh opened the door again, she scowled at him. He only looked away sadly, unable to meet her gaze. He unfolded his chair and sat down, opening his file on his knees. Marie continued to glare.

"You have visitors."

Marie's mood brightened immediately. She leaned forward.

"Who?"

Tesh stood up.

"Follow me."

For the first time in what seemed like days, Marie stood and crossed the padded room, staying a short distance behind Tesh. The stepped outside, shuddering when she head the muted screams and laughs of the genuinely disturbed in the adjacent cells. Several inmates were pressed against the windows of their cells, staring at her with glassy eyes. Some of the inhabitants just stared, while others repeated slammed against the door, screaming inaudibly. She shuddered when one coughed a mouthful of blood onto the window, and Marie turned away, focusing on the dull green top of Tesh's head instead. Her straitjacket felt tighter than ever as she walked past the cells.

Marie was pushed into a checkpoint while Tesh passed his ID through a grate, receiving back almost instantly. The gate behind her closed while the one in front opened, allowing her to continue. She stepped out, two guard falling in behind her while Tesh stepped in front again. The corridor was wide, yet the yellow lines on the floor made it clear to Marie where she was meant to stand.

"This is the only corridor in and out of the prison." Tesh explained. "Simplicity stops some of the inmates from getting too excited. It also makes containment breaches easier to manage."

 _Containment. They treat the inmates like animals._

Going through another checkpoint, the next building looked much more welcoming, with carpets and wallpaper instead of cold concrete and steel. She was waved into a room with a glass partition, a microphone hanging from the ceiling and speakers embedded in the walls. She sat down on the stool before the glass, the guards closing the door behind her and standing watch. With nothing else to do, she waited. Her head shot up when the door rattled, the noise sounding tinny through the speakers. She almost cried when both Callie and Mira entered the other side of the room, the former running forward and placing her hands on the glass, much to Tesh's annoyance. Marie just shrugged, trying to wiggle her arm in what would equate to a wave.

"Marie! Are you alright?"

"I feel alright. I mean, I can't do much, but I feel alright." She looked at the Octoling. "Hi, Mira."

She waved at her, and Marie smiled, tilting her head.

"Sooo, Splatfest is tonight. The doctor here says he can't let you out."

"Really? Come on, Doctor Tesh."

He shrugged.

"I'm sorry, it's not my decision."

"But-"

"Marie." Callie snapped. "He can't let you out, but we do have technology. We can just put you in front of a camera and live stream you."

"In a straitjacket?"

Callie ducked her head.

"I thought that's what you'd say. So instead of that..."

She gestured to Mira, who took a deep breath and began singing. Marie was bowled over at how good she was. Callie grinned as Mira finished.

"That was amazing! You have a lovely singing voice and excellent range."

"I know right? The other day I paid a visit to the refugee home and put on a bit of a show. It felt wrong, without you there, but lo and behold, Mira steps up and does background vocals for me."

"You should be proud of yourself." Marie said. "You're a natural."

Behind the pair, Tesh opened his file, pulling out a photo. He approached the screen.

"Now, after watching your interactions then, I'm hoping that this will go without any hitches. But, just in case, guards. I'm hoping your friends here will keep your head above water."

One of the guards stepped forward and placed a wire loop attached to a pole around Marie's neck while the other took aim with a stun gun.

"Really?"

"It's a precaution. Now then. The day you were brought in, you walked into what can only really be described as a nightmare. I'm about to show you photographs of what you saw. Do you want to go through with this?"

Marie took a few deep breaths before nodding. Tesh held up a picture to the glass, Marie leaning closer to inspect it. She paled when she saw that it was a neat pyramid of ten eyes stacked on a bench. Something clawed at the corner of her mind, like she could almost remember something. She looked up at Tesh. He held up another photo, this one showing the body of an Inkling skewered on a tree branch. Marie turned away, holding back the nausea that threatened to overcome her.

"Marie? Are you feeling alright?"

"No."

"Good. If you were, there would be something severely wrong. Alright, I'm going to show you the final picture, and I must warn you. We believe this one is the one that caused you to snap. Are you ready?"

Marie swallowed.

"Can I have a drink first?"

"By all means."

One of the guards produced a carton, pierced the film and held it up to Marie, who wrapped her lips around the straw, drawing on it for a second before moving her head away and nodding. The guard stepped back and took aim again as Tesh turned the final photo and held it up, showing the crime in its full nightmarish horror, the Inklings suspended in the trees with their eyes stacked on the bench below them. She couldn't help it, she turned away from the window and vomited as the memory of the day tore its way to the surface. She gasped, taking steadying breaths and the guard moved the straw to her lips again. She drank heavily, trying to get the foul taste out of her mouth.

"That... Is the most awful thing I have ever seen." She coughed, another glob of bile hitting the floor.

"Well, the good news is that you're not completely catatonic this time. That much is clear. However, we don't know what your mental state is now that you remember. Up until now, you've had no recollection of the day, but clearly you remember it now."

"I remember walking into the clearing and seeing... That... But it's all blurry after that."

"Hm, yes. Well, in any case, we're going to need to keep you here for a few days. With the straitjacket."

Marie looked crestfallen.

"I wouldn't mind staying here without this damn jacket."

"It's not my choice to make, unfortunately."

"Marie, are you going to at least appear in front of a camera?" Mira asked.

"As long as they don't show the jacket. Don't want people getting the wrong idea. Hey, and you'll be fine. Trust us, the last timid girl we came across his now a senior investigator. You'll be great!" Mira giggled and looked away.

"Who knows?" Callie said. "Some of the crowd might like the bad girl look."

"This isn't a bad girl look. This is the deranged look."

"Eh, same diff. Every thought about doing pin-ups?"

"What." Marie deadpanned.

"They could be really popular! Straitjackets can be sexy!"

"Callie!"

Her cousin cackled while her face burned, the ever-present straitjacket ensuring that she could not cover her flustered face. Behind her, the guards sniggered, and she silenced them with a glare. Tesh and Mira looked on bemusedly, the former writing on his clipboard again and the latter turning away, slightly red in the face.

"Alright. You're stable to a point where you socially interact normally, so we'll let you appear on camera. You need to get cleaned up. I'll send someone over later. In the meantime..." He nodded to the guard, who removed the wire loop. The other holstered his stun gun. Marie leant her head on the glass, Callie doing the same on the other side.

"I'll see you soon."

Marie was led out of the room and down the corridors back to her cell. She sighed as the door was shut again, and she was left alone with her thoughts.

* * *

True to his word, Tesh had sent someone to clean Marie outside of the scheduled time, and she sat as still as she could while they soaked her in ink and soap. She was still restrained, and she hated how helpless she felt as a total stranger rubbed the solution into her skin. She shuddered at each touch. When she was finally dressed again, she had to sit still while someone else applied make-up. She had to give them credit, they did a damn good job. She was then taken into one of the meeting rooms, having been given a different jacket to wear which was less obvious than the straitjacket, and allowed her to wear the choker she wore so often. It was a small luxury, but she felt more normal, even if it was just a little.

A screen had been set up inside the room, a camera on top of it. The screen currently showed the Inkopolis Plaza, a crowd of Inklings gathered in anticipation for the event about to begin. Two pedals sat on the floor, and as Marie pressed them, her view panned from side to side. She smiled. Small luxuries. Moving the camera around some more, she deduced that it was mounted on top of her truck. She panned around, searching for Callie. She spotted her on her truck, her shutters still up. She was checking her watch, before she looked up and waved at the camera. Marie waved back, unsure as to whether or not she saw the gesture. Callie held up two fingers to the camera. Two minutes.

Recalibrating the camera, Marie waited, watching as Mira stood on her stage doing several stretches and breathing exercises. Marie wished she could talk to her. A burst of fireworks, followed by lights illuminating Callie signalled the start of the event. Midna's shutters remained up.

"Hello Inkopolis!" She got a roar from the crowd in response. "Are we ready for a SPLATFEST?"

The crowd roared again, and Callie held up a hand. There was instant silence.

"Now, I have some sad news. My other half, my dead sister Marie, is ill, and could not be with us today." There came a sympathetic "aww" from the crowd. "But... On my travels, I stumbled upon a fantastic singer who agreed to take her place, just this once!" Mumbles rippled through the crowd. "Now I know you're all wondering. Who could possibly have ascended to become the next Marie? Well, ladies and gentlemen, we found her- with an ironically similar name, too- I give you... Mira!"

Music began playing as the catches on Mira's shutters began popping off, one by one. As the music reached her cue, the shutters dropped away as she began to sing. The crowd was silent for a second before they began cheering, many at the front jumping up and down in time with the music. The rest of the crowd joined in before the end of the song. When Mira's opening finished, Callie spoke up again.

"So Mira, how are you feeling tonight?"

"Before? I was panicking. An Octoling in front of such a large crowd. Now? I feel like I could sing forever!"

The crowd cheered and Callie laughed.

"We'll see if you feel like that this time tomorrow. Now, we have another announcement before we begin. If you'd all be so kind as to direct your attention to that screen. Do try to tear your eyes away from us, we know we're fantastic, but this is important."

She pointed to the screen behind Mira, and the lights fell on it, a synthesised drum roll growing as most of the lights turned off. The light above Marie's camera blinked on, as did all of the spotlights in the plaza.

"Hello Inkopolis!"

The crowd exploded with cheers again as she appeared on-screen.

"So sorry I couldn't be there. I'm a little... Tied up at the moment. I will be taking questions that I will answer here. Send them with your name through the studio!"

Callie burst out laughing while Mira shook her head, smiling.

"Nice one, sis. Now then: stage announcements for Splatfest! The rules are Turf War as always, let's see what maps we have.

Marie's face moved into one corner of the screen while the rest was taken up by the possible stages flashing across the screen.

"Flounder Heights! I love this place at night!"

"I'm sure people don't like you lot battling at night." Mira responded. Marie arched a brow.

 _She is exactly like an Octoling version of me._

"Saltspray Rig! Be careful not to fall off!"

"That doesn't stop you from pushing others off, though."

"Hammerhead Bridge!"

"I know you love the view here at night, Callie." Marie cut in. "But shouldn't you focus on the battle?"

"Yeah, yeah! But the lights are so pretty!"

"You know what else is pretty?" Mira asked. "Ink flying everywhere. Like it should be."

The crowd roared again.

"Okay!" Marie said. "You know your colours- orange for sun holidays, white for snow holidays. Without further ado..."

"Get battling!" Mira shouted, pointing to the lobby.

"And remember..." Callie started.

"Stay fresh!" All three finished.

The battlers of the crowd surged forward as Callie and Mira began their first routine, Marie singing along with them in the background, watching as the questions began to pile up.

* * *

About halfway through the Splatfest, Callie and Mira stopped singing, each of them taking a break while many Inklings poured back into the plaza. Marie panned the camera around.

"Okay, time to answer some more questions! Serz asks- how do you chose what stages are used when? Well, in truth, we use a random number generator. Holly asks- Marie are you okay, so Marie are you okay, are you okay Marie?" The crowd let loose with a collective "aww", with some cheers as several Inklings figured out how she would respond. "Holly I am okay, yes Holly I am okay, I am okay Holly." The crowd cheered and Marie did a little bow, taking a quick drink from a straw before turning back to the screen.

"Next question: Rafe asks- tied up? Winky face." The crowd exploded with laughter, with many ooh-ing. Marie looked down at her straitjacket, deciding whether or not her next idea was a stupid one.

 _Screw it, some of them may like it._

Marie pushed back the stool, showing on-camera that she was in a straitjacket. Callie spat out her drink when she saw the screen, and the crowd applauded. Mira blushed and turned away as Marie extended one leg up in what could only really be described as a pose used for pin-ups.

"Yes, tied up."

She moved the chair back towards the camera, noticing that many of the male inklings in the crowd- and several of the girls, Mira included- were glancing about nervously, an apparent blush creeping to the tips of their ears. Marie raised an eyebrow when several anonymous posts came in asking for more. She rolled her eyes.

"I can't put on a show like that here! There may be children watching!"

The crowd laughed again, Marie answering a few more questions before Callie and Mira began singing again.

The following evening, the music ended, and the lights fell.

"Okay everyone, that was the final battle! Now let's see those results!"

Marie's face was moved again, this time two columns and three rows appearing.

"First, let's see the popularity!"

Numbers flashed in the corresponding row, before stopping suddenly- 57% for sun, 43% for snow. Callie struck a pose.

"Alright! We're more popular, obviously! Now for wins!"

Numbers flashed through the next row and stopped. 48% for sun, 52% for snow. The crowd rumbled.

"Yeah." Mira said. "It is close."

"Now for the total!" Marie announced.

A small "x4" appeared next to wins, and the total score for the Splatfest teams appeared- 249 for sun, 251 for snow.

"Yes!" Mira raised a fist into the air, and Marie would have done the same if it wasn't for her restraints. "Snow holidays confirmed as best holidays!"

"Sorry team, looks like we were left out in the cold." Callie said. "Well, that concludes Splatfest, we'll see you all next time! Goodbye, Inkopolis!"

The shutters raised, blocking off Callie and Mira's view of the plaza, the trucks' powerful engines starting up. The light above Marie's camera went out, and she sagged, yawning. The door opened behind her, Doctor Tesh walking in.

"Hey, Doc." Marie yawned. "Any news."

"Some, yes. Stand up."

She dragged herself to her feet, noticing that Tesh was holding a signed piece of paper. She read the top of it- Declaration of Conditional Discharge. Marie's eyes widened.

"Is this your signature?"

"And one of the directors, yes. But note that it says Conditional." He pointed to several lines and paragraphs. "In short, you must agree to do what your custodian tells on to do, and accept that you may still be restrained. You can be brought back here if your custodian deems it necessary. Understand?"

"Yes."

Marie could barely keep the excited quiver out of her voice.

"Good. We have the clothes you were wearing when we picked you up packed up and ready for you. Again, whether you'll be allowed to wear them depends on your custodian."

"Who is my custodian?"

Tesh gave her a sideways glance and half-smile.

"You'll see."

He led her out of the room, and into a warehouse, where a small fleet of transport vehicles stood waiting. She was ushered into the back of a truck and sat facing the front, Tesh pulling a seatbelt around her. He placed a bag under her seat.

"Good luck, Marie."

He closed the doors and slapped the back of the vehicle twice. It immediately pulled away, carrying Marie out of the facility she had called home for the past few days.

When the truck stopped again, Marie didn't know what to expect. She wasn't entirely sure where the prison was, so she had no reference as to where she could be. They had also been driving for at least an hour- she wasn't entirely sure- so they could have been anywhere in Inkopolis. She winced when the back doors opened. The seat prevented her from looking outside, but she could still feel the cold. The driver stood in front of her.

"There is a crowd of Inklings forming outside, probably wondering who's in the asylum van that just pulled up." He held up a black hood. Marie rolled her eyes.

"Let's get this over with."

The driver placed the hood over her head, completely covering her face and hair from view. She was them released from the seat and walked outside, a swarm of whispers reaching her ears from the Inklings around her. She turned her head towards the sounds, trying to catch snippets of information.

"Who is that?"

"We're not in danger, are we?"

"Mum? I'm scared."

"It'll be fine, I'm sure."

She faced forwards as she heard a door open, and she was marched inside a building. The guard pulled her to a stop, and she soon heard a ding. She was moved forward another few metres before stopping again. She almost fell over when the floor moved, and she quickly realised she was in an elevator. When the carriage stopped again, she was pushed forwards, down a corridor and stopped in front of a door. The guard knocked on it, and Marie heard it open, a familiar smell hitting her.

 _Oh, thank you, Doctor Tesh._


	4. Stockholm Syndrome

**-Present-**

"Clearly, you're not a stranger to being imprisoned." Vytus remarked.

"What gave you that impression?" Marie responded coldly.

"Forget I said anything. What happened after that?"

"No, you forget I said anything." Marie rebuked. "I'm not going to tell the rest of my life story while you sit there and take it all in. You're going to tell me something in return."

Vytus looked at the camera nervously. When no response came, he turned back towards Marie.

"Go on."

"Why are to so interested in me? You're together with my one hundred percent sane cousin. Why spare a thought of me while I rot in this cage?"

"In short, it's happened again. Six more Inklings have gone missing."

 **-Past-**

Marie broke down in tears the moment the guard took off her hood, confirming what she suspected.

She was _home._

She turned to the guard, her voice shaking with emotion.

"Thank you so much."

The guard waved her off and backed away, closing the door behind her. Callie and Mira burst from behind the furniture, twisting confetti cannons and shouting welcomes at her. A banner saying "Welcome home Marie!" swung from the ceiling, and a cake sat on the table. The pair ran forward, pulling Marie into a hug she had no choice but to accept. The stepped back, beaming at her while she laughed. Mira moved behind her, her fingers beginning to work on the straitjacket.

"So!" Callie said, placing her hands on Marie's shoulders. "What's the first thing you're going to do when you get out of that jacket?"

Marie glanced at the cake on the table and shook her head.

"Scratch my _everything_. This thing is so uncomfortable."

The first strap tightened before vanishing, Mira moving onto the next. The cycle repeated, each strap tightening while Mira dislodged the needle before vanishing as she pulled the leather through. Marie bounced on her feet, waiting for the fabric to drop away. She didn't even care that she was only wearing a bra underneath, she just wanted to be free.

"Now..." Callie started. "Before Mira lets you out of that jacket, you have to agree to something."

Mira stopped on the last strap and Marie groaned with frustration, having been denied her sweet release.

"I swear Callie, you better get to the point fast."

"We are officially listed as your custodians."

"Yeah? So?"

"That means to have to do everything we tell you to, within reason, or..." She walked behind her and threaded one of the straps back through. "You go back in the jacket. Capische?"

Marie nodded, perhaps too quickly, and Callie leered for a second before beaming. "Good!"

Mira made quick work of the straps, and then the knot that held the sleeves together. The fabric dropped away, and true to her word, Marie's hands moved all over her body, getting rid of all the itched that had plagued her during her incarceration. She moved through to carpeted living room, lying down on the carpet and exhaling. Callie and Mira watched, confused. She glared at them, shifting slightly.

"You have no idea how good this feels."

"If you say so. Cake?"

Mira held out the baked good, and Marie took a slice, biting into it and almost crying again.

"It has been too long."

"You make it sound like you've been gone for years."

"Hey!" Marie shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Callie. "You haven't been in a straitjacket for a week."

Callie and Mira shared a glance, the former winking before regaining her composure. She dragging Marie off the carpet and sat her down on the couch, throwing a shirt at her. Mira sat down next to her, two bottles of juice in her hands. She handed one over.

"Oh? Do I have two maids now?" Marie taunted.

"No." Callie said, making a show of tilting her head towards the straitjacket that was now draped over a chair. Marie glared at her.

"Don't even think about it."

"Don't give us an excuse." Mira retorted, giving her a shove. Marie arched a brow.

"Where did all this confidence come from? The other day, you were timid as anything."

"I performed. I guess you must have rubbed off on me." Mira shrugged.

Marie tried to think of a witty response, but nothing came.

"Well that explains the sarcasm." She said. Callie leaned over her.

"Soooo, what do you want to do?"

"I have no idea. There's so much I could do... A film, maybe?"

"Any in particular?"

"Oh, I don't know. A romance, maybe?"

Callie grimaced. Marie picked up on it and pressed onwards.

"Yeah, a romance. Mira? Are you okay with that?"

"Yes. That's fine."

Marie grinned while Callie's expression darkened; she borderline glowered at her when she brought in her favourite film, and Marie knew Callie hated it. Mira seemed indifferent. Marie pulled her cousin onto the couch, Mira sitting between them as the opening credits played.

Callie endured the endless stream of cliches and lovebird staring, almost gasping with relief when the closing credits rolled up the screen. She noticed that at some point, Mira had moved herself onto Marie's lap, and her cousin had her arms wrapped around the Octoling. Callie rolled her eyes, pulling herself to her feet.

"Either of you two lovebirds want a drink?"

The pair nodded, and Callie poured them both a glass of juice. She opened the cupboard, contemplating the packet of tablets that lay hidden inside.

 _I could always... Motivate her._

She decided against it, closing the cupboard and taking the drinks through and handing them to the pair. Soon after, Marie stood up, claiming that she was going to bed. When Mira stated that she was going to be sleeping on the couch, Marie took her by the hands and dragged her towards her bedroom, passing through the kitchen as they went. Several minutes later, Marie's bedroom door clicked shut. Sighing, Callie poured herself a glass of wine, taking a sip before sitting down at the table, the contract she had signed for custody of Marie sat in front of her. She flipped it open, reading the rules she had agreed to again.

"Always have a custodian accompany the patient. Check. The patient is not to consume alcohol or illicit substances. Check. The patient is not to be exposed to scenes of an excessively violent or threatening nature. Ugh, no action films for me for a while. As a custodian, you must keep a restraint or straitjacket on-hand in case of an emergency." Callie looked up, and saw that the straitjacket was no longer on the back of the chair. "Uh-oh."

She stood up, downing the rest of her glass before heading down the corridor, knocking on Marie's door before opening it.

"Hey, have either of you moved the... Strait..."

She backed out quickly, trying her hardest to scour the scene she had just witnessed from her mind.

When Mira had suggested that she slept on the couch, Marie had taken her by the hands and led her to her bedroom, making it abundantly clear that she wasn't taking no for an answer. Mira had squeaked something about the discharge conditions and grabbed the straitjacket from the chair as they passed. After a few minutes of personal hygiene, Marie was sinking into her mattress, laughing at the comfort she hadn't realised she would miss so much. The fact that she was able to lie in a comfortable bed in a set of pyjamas, no straitjacket required, was a luxury in itself.

The straitjacket in question was currently hanging in the grip of Mira, who was stood at the foot of the bed. Marie sat up and looked at her.

"Are you going to stand there all night? Come here and keep me warm." She said, dragging out the last word as she leaned forward and pulled Mira onto the mattress. The Octoling pulled away, moving out of Marie's field of view. The Inkling settled onto her back, staring at the ceiling and listening to the faint rustle of fabric. She turned over and almost choked when Mira sat on the edge of the bad, a sliver of her back visible between the belts of the straitjacket. She held the sleeves out behind her.

"Please... Fasten it..."

Even from her current position, Marie could see the tips of Mira's ears burning crimson. Marie had a sudden moment of clarity.

"I saw you looking away when I showed Inkopolis I was in a straitjacket. You... Like it, don't you?" Mira nodded, whimpering. Marie grinned salaciously. "Kinky."

Marie took the first strap and fastened it- not as tightly as she had it when she was forced to wear it, but tight enough that Mira felt it rubbing against her. She fastened the rest of the straps, and then moved onto the sleeves. Mira had already cross her arms in front of her, the sleeves trailing behind her. Marie took them and tied them in a loose but secure knot. Mira actually shivered when Marie moved her hands away.

"Well? Now what?" Mira mumbled something that Marie couldn't make out. "I'm sorry?"

"D...dominate me..."

 _Wow, she is totally into this._

Marie pulled her into a kiss, her tongue running against the inside of Mira's lips before she lifted her up, dropping the Octoling onto the bed and straddling her. Mira's face burned. Marie smirked.

"Well then... Now that you can't touch..."

Both of their heads snapped to the door when it opened, glaring at Callie, who very quickly backed out and slammed the door. The pair burst out laughing at the interruption. Marie calmed down first, placing a finger on Mira's lips, silencing her. Her hands went to her shirt, slowly beginning to lift it while she swayed from side to side. Mira whimpered as she took it off completely and leaned in again, going in for another kiss. Mira gave no resistance. Marie moved down, running a hand down Mira's chest, stomach and was reaching even further down into her shorts when she stopped. Mira almost cried.

"Please..."

"Shh!"

Marie held up a finger, all traces of playfulness gone from her face. She put her shirt back on.

"Do you hear that?" She whispered while undoing the straitjacket.

"Hear what?"

"The window..."

"But we're on the top floor..." The Octoling said, readjusting her shorts. "Nothing can be out there."

Taking a Splattershot from under the bed, Marie crept towards the window, shivering as she went. The room felt much colder now, as if the heat had been leeched right out of it, and by proxy, herself. She reached out with her left hand, yanking the curtain back and aiming at the window, only to see that there was nothing there, apart from a thin layer of frost on the outside pane. She opened the window, shuddering as the night air clawed its way inside the room. Looking down to the ground below, she saw nothing. Frowning, she went to close the window again until she heard another noise; not cracking, but a noise like thick liquid peeling away from a hard surface. Swallowing nervously, she turned, her back facing downwards as she peered up to the room. When the eyeless Inkling appeared over the edge, she stifled a scream, wriggling back inside and closing the window as it pitched itself over the edge and walked down the side of the wall with a slowness that Marie felt was to deliberately unsettle her further. The tar that had been in the clearing, dripping from the Inklings' skewered bodies, now slid down the window, soon followed by the eyeless Inkling standing on the glass, the fragile material cracking under its weight. Up close and lit by the room, Marie could see that it was, or at least once was, a boy, and that his entire body was coated with his own tar. It stared at her, and she backed away, pulling Mira from the bed and crouching behind the furniture.

"Do you see it? Tell me you see it."

"I-I see it."

Marie breathed a quick sigh of relief. She wasn't hallucinating. She stared out at the eyeless boy, who stared back, his mouth twisted into a sick smile. It walked further down the wall before placing his hands on the glass. Marie backed away even further as his hands turned to liquid, passing through the gap between the pane and the frame, fingers forming inside the room, removing the latch and pushing the window open. The eyeless boy walked inside the room, whispering incoherently as it approached, leaving a trail of tar in its wake. Marie and Mira backed into the corridor.

"Callie!" Marie shouted. She heard footsteps, and she turned to them as they approached. Callie ran towards her, urgency written all over her face.

"What?"

Marie pointed into the room, looking away from the creature inside.

"That was there. I saw that the day before the missing Inklings were found!"

"Saw... What? There's nothing in there."

"What?"

Marie looked into the room. True to Callie's word, the eyeless boy had vanished; not just in person, but all traces of it were no longer there. There was no tar soaking into the carpet or down the outside wall, and the window was shut. Marie was wide-eyed with fear, and Callie's face was etched with worry. She held her phone in one hand.

"Do I have to call Tesh to tell him you're hallucinating?"

"No, because it's not just me! Mira saw it too!"

The Octoling nodded rapidly. Callie frowned.

"Alright."

She vanished down the hall for a second, returning with a folding chair and setting it up in the corner of Marie's bedroom. She sat down with her Roller. The message was clear- she was keeping watch. Marie and Mira both got back into bed, clutching each other close.

* * *

None of the trio slept well that night, Marie and Mira paranoid that something was moving in the shadows, something with the intent to hurt them. It was in the early morning hours when Callie fell asleep, the three of them falling into fitful slumbers plagued with nightmares. When Marie awoke the next morning, she almost ripped the curtain from its rail as she tugged it aside to check there were no eyeless horrors outside. Seeing there were none, she turned away and roused Callie, who had fallen asleep. She woke up, tilting her neck from side to side.

"Yep, I thought I'd regret sleeping in a chair. That's sore." She checked her phone for the time. "Crap! We've got ten minutes!"

Callie stumbled out of the room, tripping over the discarded straitjacket. Her slip allowed Marie to overtake her, and moments later Callie's expression soured when she heard the bathroom door slam and lock. She growled, hammering on the door.

"If you're not out here in five minutes, you're going to regret it!"

"Whatever!"

Callie breezed into the kitchen, snatching a bowl from the cupboard and pouring herself a bowl of cereal, bolting the morning meal before gathering a fresh pair of clothes. She waited outside the bathroom four minutes later, waiting for Marie to finish. The lock clicked open.

"Finally! Come on, you need to- oh for-!"

Marie walked out of the room completely nude, slapping Callie face lightly as she went.

"All yours."

Callie growled again, storming into the bathroom and setting the shower to the correct colour while she stripped down.

Minutes later, the sisters were stood in front of a camera, their stories for the day handed to them on paper. Callie read hers and cast a worried glance at Marie who looked back at her.

"Are you looking at the-"

"Yeah."

"And you're alright with it?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, if you say so." She turned to the camera. "Hold onto your tentacles..."

"It's Inkopolis news time!"

"Unfortunately, we have some bad news."

"Awful news."

"Another six Inklings have gone missing."

Six faces appeared on the screen. Marie pointed to them.

"If you happen to know anything as to where they could have vanished to, or who took them, please tell the authorities!"

The pair moved onto the stage news, and soon enough, the report was over. Marie sat down heavily, Callie sitting down across the table.

"Feel like waiting around today?"

"I just need time to... Process the fact that more have gone missing."

She turned and waved to a fan stood outside the window, Callie following suit before turning back.

"The problem is, we don't know who they're going to get. There's not enough police to guard every child in Inkopolis, and the hotels don't have enough rooms to put them all in one place."

"I know, it's just- _ugh_ \- I hate feeling like I can't do anything, like all of our Agent training has gone to waste." She waved to another fan before standing up. "I'm heading back."

"No walk today?"

"No, I have some unfinished business at home."

"I will never look at that straitjacket the same way."

Marie almost choked, a blush erupting across her face.

"Oh, uh, you saw that?"

"Oh yes." Callie narrowed her eyes. "She's into that, then? The whole submissive thing?"

"Apparently."

"Lucky you."

"Callie!"

Callie burst out laughing at Marie's reaction. The sister turned away, walking out the door. Seconds later, Callie heard the distinct sound of an Inkling propelling themselves into the air.

* * *

When the sisters had left, Corlu had dragged herself out of bed and to the kitchen, slowly eating her way through a bowl of cereal. She had showered and dressed, sitting down and switching on the TV while she waited for the sisters to return, just catching the end of their broadcast, their catchphrase "Stay fresh!" echoing in her ears. As she sat there, she briefly considered going back to the refugee centre, back where she belonged to give another little show, but that thought vanished- along with other coherent thoughts- when Marie caught her off-guard by draping her arms over her shoulders and folding them across Mira's chest, silencing the Octoling's scream with a kiss. Mira broke off.

"Marie! Please don't scare me like that!"

"Aww, I'm sorry." Came the snarky reply. A straitjacket landed on Mira's lap. "I believe we have some unfinished business."


	5. Home Visit

**Thanks for the repeated reviews- some of you seem to be getting scared, which means I'm doing something right. Well, enjoy the next chapter.**

 **-Past-**

When Callie stepped into the apartment that evening, the first thing to hit her was the smell; sweat, and something else. As she sniffed the air again, she realised what it was and recoiled- it was the smell of sex. Steeling herself for what she may see, she stepped into the living room and arched a brow at the scene within; Marie and Mira passed out on the couch, Mira still in the straitjacket and pressed against Marie. Both were nude. Callie rolled her eyes and simply tipped Marie over the edge. She woke as she fell. Screaming quietly when she hit the ground. She stood up, eyes going wide when she saw Callie stood there.

"You're cleaning this up." She said, and Marie sagged.

Mira woke at the loss of her heat source, screaming and trying to cover herself up before realising she was still restrained. She stood and ran into Marie's bedroom, kicking the door shut. Callie shook her head.

"Go and sort her out. And clean the straitjacket too."

Marie pulled on a pair of pants before walking away, picking up the rest of the clothes thrown around the room. No sooner had Marie's door slammed shut a second time when there came a knock at the door. Callie answered, inviting Corlu in. She had a solemn expression on her face.

"You know which story I'm here to discuss."

"Yep."

They sat down at the table. Callie offered to pour Corlu a drink, but she declined. Shrugging, Callie poured one for herself before sitting down.

"Is Marie okay?"

"At the moment, she's fine. She's getting along well with Mira."

"Nothing else happened? No-ones seen anything that may give us a lead on who's doing the kidnapping and murder? I heard Marie snapped when she found the five Inklings."

"Funny you should ask, as there was something. Last night, Marie screamed for help, telling me there was something in the room. When I got there, there was nothing, but Mira claims to have seen it too."

"Really now? Can you get her to talk to me?"

"Probably." Callie stood up. She knocked on the door of Marie's room. "You decent?"

"No!"

"Well hurry up, because Corlu wants to talk to you."

Seconds later, the sister emerged, wearing a plain tee and shorts. She sat down across from Corlu.

"Yes?"

"Callie tells me you saw something last night."

Marie shuddered at the memory. "Yeah."

"Can you tell me what it was?"

"It was an eyeless boy."

"Eyeless? Like he had no eyes, just holes?"

"No, I mean there was no place for his eyes, just skin. His entire body was covered in that black stuff you found. It doesn't breathe, either."

"It sounds kind of... Fantastical."

"Well it's real. Tonight wasn't the first time Mira and I saw it, we saw it in the park the day before..." She swallowed. "Before the five were found."

Corlu scribbled down the information on a small pad of paper. Marie noted the lack of a huge gun in the room.

"Hey Corlu, what happened to the Nereid? Did you get rid of it?"

"Pfft! No, it's just tiring to carry around. I have a different weapon to carry instead." She reached into her coat and placed a large pistol on the table. "Remember the Spy?"

"Yeah?"

"Well we took inspiration from his revolver. Except in the place of a cylinder, we put a compressor. Here, I'll show you."

Corlu placed her right hand around the grip and her left underneath, her hand dissociating slightly as the weapon drew ink from her. She pulled the trigger, the noise of the discharge startling Marie- she didn't expect it to be so loud. A high-speed ball of ink flew down the corridor and splattered on the wall. Marie whistled.

"Nice."

"It is, isn't it?" She checked her watch. "Got to go, but we'll keep an eye out. Let us know if you see anything out of the ordinary."

"Will do."

Corlu left the apartment, and Mira emerged from the bedroom, a slight flush of pink still visible on her face. She sat down on the couch, Marie joining her moments later. Callie distanced herself and sat in the armchair.

"So, Callie. When are we going to see Vytus around here?"

Callie's eyes widened.

"I-I-I don't know what y-you mean."

"That stutter makes me think you do. Come on, where is he?"

"He's working. He had to go offshore for a while."

"Ooh, exciting. Doing what?"

"Construction work."

"Fair enough."

The trio lapsed into silence. The world outside had grown dark, and snow was once again piling up in the windowsill. Mira shivered, and Marie felt it.

"You Octolings really don't do well in the cold, do you? Come here."

Marie pulled Mira into a tight hug, the Octoling wrapping her arms around Marie and pulling her in closer, yawning as she did so.

"You look tired, Mira." Callie said.

"You know why." Was the reply, accompanied by a wiggle of Mira's eyebrows. Callie's expression soured, and Marie giggled.

"You pair are gross."

"Well, in any case..." Marie lifted Mira bridal-style and began to walk to the bedroom. "Bedtime. I want to be up with enough time for a decent shower tomorrow."

"Fair enough."

Callie watched the pair go, shaking her head at their antics. Once she couldn't hear any flowing ink or slamming doors, she headed into the kitchen and to the contract she had signed, scanning the page for a phone number. She found it and dialled, barely a second of ringing passing before it was answered.

"Tesh speaking."

"It's Callie."

"Oh, hello Callie. How has Marie been?"

"She's fine, but she and Mira both saw something that I didn't, and I'm worried it may set of Marie."

"What was it?"

"I overheard her talking to a friend of ours about an eyeless Inkling that seems to be stalking her."

"Eyeless as in its eyes have been torn out?"

"Eyeless as in it has just skin where its eyes should be."

"I see. And you think it could be a problem?"

"If it attacks her, it may send her off the deep end again."

"I see. Well, thank you for calling. I'll make sure we have a cell ready on the off chance this thing causes any... Altercations."

"Will do."

Callie hung up, massaging her head and sighing before she stood, picking up a Splattershot and heading into Marie's room. Mira raised her head, blinking at her groggily.

"What's happening?"

"I'm keeping watch again tonight."

"Oh... Alright then..."

Mira lay down again, and Callie sat down in the chair she had left the previous night, keeping her eyes peeled even as the two girls in the bed next to her began snoring. Callie soon felt her own eyelids growing heavy, and she surrendered to sleep.

* * *

Mira was the first awake the next morning- life in the Octospheres had required her to be up early in order to be near the front of the queues that would form for power cells- once the power began to run out, it was a first come, first served basis. Under Atra, it was even worse. The warlord had taken most of the power for herself and her following, using it to power their fortress. Mira was willing to bet her life that when Atra was subdued, no-one, Octarian or Inkling, had any protests.

She sighed, stretching as best she could without disturbing Marie, sliding out of bed and walking into the kitchen, plugging in the toaster and putting some bread inside. She poured herself a drink while she waited. When her breakfast sprung up, she caught it and buttered it, sitting down and reading a magazine as she ate. Finding nothing of interest, she closed it again, finishing the rest of the toast while she looked around the apartment. She hadn't noticed until now how bare the walls were- save for a few clocks, no paintings or posters were on display, not were there any sort of awards. Mira frowned.

 _Surely there must be something..._

Finishing her toast, she poked her head through the bedroom door again to make sure the sisters were asleep, and then she went exploring, searching the rest of the rooms for drawers and cupboards that contained something other than the essentials such as clothes, food and weapons. Mira soon found a safe, held shut by a keypad and lock. She groaned.

 _I can't open that..._

"Found something interesting?"

Mira screamed, her hands flying to her mouth so she didn't make much of a noise. She turned around; Marie was stood behind her, munching away at a slice of toast while she stared at Mira. She took another bite, chewing at a deliberately slow speed before swallowing.

"Is there a reason you've been searching all the drawers?"

Mira sagged.

"I thought the walls looked boring, so I looked around for something to put on them..."

"Hmm. I guess you could say the walls are a bit boring. Well, I'd be happy to show you some stuff we do have, but..." She held up a glass of dark ink. "Should we go and wake up Callie?"

"A-alright."

"Great!" Marie grinned. "You open the curtains- it won't make much difference since it's still quite dark- and I'll hit her with this. Alright?"

"Sure."

The pair crept back into the bedroom, approaching Callie, who was still snoring quietly. Mira took hold of the curtains, watching as Marie counted down with her fingers. When she curled her final finger, she tipped the contents of the glass onto her cousin while the Octoling wrenched the curtains open, a scream filling the air.

"Wakey wakey!"

Callie awoke coughing and spluttering while Marie fell over, laughing.

"What the _hell_ , Mar- Mira! What's wrong?"

Marie suddenly realised that it was not Callie who ha screamed, but rather, Mira. She turned quickly, seeing that the Octoling was wide-eyed and staring at the window, trembling as she backed away. Marie went to look out the window, but was stopped by Callie, who approached the glass instead. She looked outside, retching when she saw what was there.

Hanging from the roof was the body of an Inkling. A rope was wrapped tightly around its neck- Callie could no longer tell if it was a boy or girl since it was desiccated, their limbs and tentacles withered and split. A dusting of ice covered the corpse, causing it to glitter grotesquely in the morning light as it swayed in the breeze. Callie swallowed, stopping herself from throwing up as she closed the curtain again. She turned to Marie.

"You will not look out of any of the windows. Understand?"

"Why? What's out there?"

"You stay the hell away from the windows, alright? Do I have to put you in the jacket to make sure?"

"A-alright! I get it! Stay away from the windows."

Callie nodded and stepped out of the room as Marie crawled over to Mira, embracing her and trying to comfort her. Callie walked around the apartment, opening blinds and curtains. A further four windows had Inklings hanging in front of them. Callie couldn't help herself and she threw up in the sink, dry heaving in disgust. She picked up the phone.

"Yeah. Five of the six have turned up. My apartment. Send someone."

Hanging up, Callie then waited by the door, wrenching open when the knocking came barely ten minutes later. Corlu stood before her, with two escorts.

"Is it as bad as you say?"

Callie merely led her to one of the windows and opened he shutters, and Corlu recoiled.

"Is there a way onto the roof?"

"Yeah, follow me."

Callie stepped into the corridor, leading Corlu and her two escorts to the stairwell, opening the door at the top of the stairs and shivering when the cold tore the heat from the building.

In the centre of the battleground that sat atop Flounder Heights hung a vile black mass, ribbons of tar spreading in five directions. It hung from the grate, the ribbons spreading to the edge of the building where they each held a rope in place. Stepping up to the edge, Corlu took hold of a rope and hauled it up, the body of the Inkling dragging against the concrete. She lay it on the roof while she moved onto the next, her escorts taking a rope each. Callie took hold of one as well, moving the bodies from the windows and laying them next to the first. Corlu then went to the black mass, pulling a vial and a folding knife from her pockets, scraping a small amount off and sealing the vial. She noticed that where the knife had touched the tar, there was corrosion. When she pulled the knife from the mass, it evaporated, strands of thick black mist ascending into the clouds and disappearing from sight. She scowled, quickly jumping backwards and holding her breath while folding her knife. She turned around when she was clear of the mist.

"Looks like I'm going to need a new knife. Callie!"

"Yeah?"

"Did Marie see the bodies?"

"No. I told her not to."

"Good. I'm no psychiatrist, but I figure that this would do some damage. Can I talk to her?"

"Sure."

The pair went back inside while Corlu's escorts stayed on the roof, one of them talking into a phone while the other stood by. Inside, Corlu sat down, and Marie emerged from the bedroom, sitting down across from her.

"Yes?"

"You know what strikes me odd about these killings? The fact that you've seen this eyeless thing both before the Inklings vanish, and before five bodies turn up. The bodies also turn up in close proximity to you."

"Are you telling me I'm a suspect?"

"No. I'm telling you that this things, or things, could be targeting you, or at least it looks that way. Nothing happened while you were catatonic, but immediately after you were sane, it happened again."

"But... Why?"

"I... We don't know. Hell, we have no idea what this thing is, or what this tar it leaves behind is. The whole thing is one sick mystery. And I hate it."

She twirled the vial between her fingers absently, and Marie stared at the liquid.

"Have you ever tried... Touching this tar?"

"Touching it?" Corlu held it up before carefully placing it on the table. "Hell no. I told you what the lab techs found; deadly poisons usually found in pufferfish and something called Poison Dart Frogs. It'd be in your best interests to stay waaaaay away from this stuff." She noticed the look Marie was giving her. "Seriously. It's bad. I read that the frogs that have this Batrachotoxin in them were really small, but could kill ten of these things called humans, which were much bigger than us. Do yourself a favour and don't touch the tar."

"Alright, a simple no would've worked."

"Alright. No. We haven't. All we have found out is that it has a median lethal dose of about five micrograms per kilogram of body weight. Where it comes from or what produces it is a mystery, unless your eyeless friend is the one behind it."

"I see. Well, let us know if you get anywhere with the kidnappers."

"Will do. Don't worry, we'll solve it soon. Oh, didn't you mention that the Octoling saw this thing too? Can I speak to her?"

"If she feels up to it. She... She 'found' the bodies this morning."

"Oh... Well could you ask her for me? Please?"

Marie stood up, knocking on the door to the bedroom.

"Mira? Can I come in?"

"Y-yes..."

Marie slowly opened the door, sitting down next to Mira who was curled up on the bed, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed sporadically. Marie gently ran a hand through her tentacles, and the Octoling's breathing noticeably steadied. Marie lifted her into a hug.

"Corlu wants to speak to you. Do you feel up to it?"

"No..."

"You sure?"

"Yes..."

"Alright then. I'm sure she'll understand. I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?"

She loosened her embrace and left the room, closing the door again. She sat in front of Corlu.

"She doesn't feel like talking."

"I see. Well, we'll call you if we find anything, and you make sure you call us if you find anyone else."

"Will do. See you soon."

"See you later."

Marie watched Corlu leave, closing the door behind her and sighing. They were no closer to finding the killer, and they both knew it. A thought suddenly took hold in her head, and she picked up Callie's phone, flicking through the contacts before she found Tesh. She dialled.

"Tesh speaking."

"It's Marie."

"Marie! Well, this is unexpected. How have you been?"

"I'm fine at the moment, but I want you to come here and do a psychological evaluation."

"Marie, if you're telling me you're fine without a waver in your voice, then you don't need a psych-eval."

"It's not for me, it's for Mira. She found the next lot of bodies, and she's pretty shaken up. I don't want her having any lasting effects. How soon can you get here?"

"Today's my day off, but I think I'll make an exception. I will see you in about an hour."

"Thank you so much."

"It's clear you care about her, Marie. I believe Mira help you through this in equal measure to Callie. What kind of doctor would I be if I didn't help my patients?"

* * *

True to his word, when Marie opened the door an hour later, Tesh was stood outside, a briefcase in hand. Callie looked at him and frowned.

"I don't remember calling you."

"Ah, you didn't. It was Marie. She was worried about Mira."

"Hmm." Callie's eyes narrowed. "Well, she's in the bedroom, and she hasn't moved since... Well, I'm sure you know."

"Yes, I know." He turned to Marie. "If you'd be so kind..."

"Follow me."

She led him to the room, telling him to wait outside while she stepped in. Moments later, she beckoned him inside. He sat on the edge of the bed, resting his case on his knees. Mira stared back at him.

"Hello there."

"H...hi..."

"My name is Tesh. Marie tells me you saw something particularly distressing today. Can you tell me what it was?"

The Octoling explained what she had saw that morning, and Tesh nodded as she spoke, scribbling notes onto a piece of paper.

"I see. That sounds nasty. I-"

He was interrupted when Callie opened the bedroom door.

"I'm going to do the news report, alright?"

"Yeah, fine." Marie nodded. Callie closed the door again, and the noise of the front door locking echoed through the apartment. Tesh cleared his throat.

"Alright then, Mira. Can you tell me what you saw?"

She closed her eyes, steadying her breathing before starting.

"I opened the curtains, and there was a... B-body."

"Can you describe the body?"

"No, I can't remember."

"Hmm, I see. Marie? Can you add to this?"

"No. Callie told me not to look out of the windows. So I didn't."

"Good to see you're following the instructions we gave to you. Alright. At the moment, it is far too soon for me to assess whether or not Mira has any lasting damage. At most, I could tell you if she's in shock and/or traumatised, and it looks like the former, not the latter, since she's having difficulty remembering details."

Marie pulled Mira into a hug, and the Octoling went limp in the embrace.

"You can get over this..." Marie comforted. "Well, mostly. I'm not completely over it, but I just keep on smiling. And you can too."

Tesh smiled and stood up.

"Well, keep on like that and I doubt there'll be any damage. Call me if anything happens."

With that, Tesh left, leaving the two girls to console each other in the weak morning light.


	6. In Memoriam

**Be careful what you write in the reviews, for trying to predict the future may change the future...**

 **-Present-**

"So she thought that this... Thing was targeting you specifically?"

"Yes."

"That sounds rough."

"It was. Considering that I'm in a prison now, it was very rough."

 **-Past-**

Inside her room, Marie was sat on the bed, lost in thought, her arms wrapped around Mira, who was sat on her lap; the Octoling was still crying quietly, and Marie could sympathise- it wasn't nice to run into a dead body, let alone having one swinging outside the window first thing in the morning. Mira was still shaking, however, and Marie decided she was going to fix that.

"Hey, Mira. Come on, calm down. You're fine. Nothing can hurt you in here, right?"

She nodded, mumbling in agreement. Her shaking slowed slightly, and Marie picked up on it. She began humming the first few notes of her and Callie's home region, and was delighted when Mira began to sing along, the waver in her voice vanishing as the song continued, and soon she was swaying in time with the music.

 _"Chopperipo, Shurashurafue..."_

 _"Nannyurunire Nifuafuerahi..."_

As the the song picked up, Marie found that she was tapping in time to the music, repeatedly tapping Mira's sides. Seeing the Octoling was occupied with singing, Marie grinned and dug her fingers into her sides, laughing when Mira screamed and fell onto her back, trying in vain to fend off Marie's attack while simultaneously trying to get her breath back. Marie did not relent, enduring the reflexive kicks that Mira threw as she fitted with laughter.

"S... Stop!"

"Nope! Not until you're smiling again!"

Marie straddled Mira and moved one hand to her arms, watching as she squirmed and tried to cover up her weaknesses- she failed quite spectacularly, and was overcome by laughter again, eyes squeezed shut and tears streaming down her face. Marie finally stopped and leaned back, allowing Mira to catch her breath. The Octoling sat up.

"That was mean!"

"It worked." Marie shrugged.

"You attacked me!"

"Well, I wouldn't call it an attack..."

Mira's eyes suddenly widened.

"Oh! I remember I have a surprise for you."

"Do you now? Whatever could it be?"

"Close your eyes and put your arms forward, like this."

Marie followed her instructions, stretching her arms forward at shoulder width, closing one eye with suspicion before closing the other after seeing Mira's beaming face. She heard rapid footsteps and felt fabric sliding over her arms, a moment of recognition causing her to realise her mistake. Before she could react, Mira had already pulled her arms behind her and tied the sleeves together and was now working on the straps.

"I can't believe you fell for that."

"Neither can I. You better not leave me in this damn thing for long."

"Well, you shouldn't have attacked me."

"I didn't-" Mira glared at her, and Marie shut up.

"That's better. Now... What should I do? I could just leave you to yourself..." Marie glared, and Mira giggled. "Or... I could return the favour!"

Mira threw Marie onto the bed before moving behind her and digging her fingers into sides. Marie jolted, trying to move away before she lost it.

"No! Not the sides!"

Mira ignored her, grinning when Marie burst out laughing, collapsing onto her side and then her front, her legs kicking wildly. Mira suddenly stopped, allowing the Inkling to catch her breath.

"You... Hah... You done?"

Opting not to say anything, Mira instead took hold of one of Marie's ankles and ran a finger down her foot. Marie yelped, laughing out loud again as Mira continued her assault. Marie tried to jerk her foot away, much to the entertainment of Mira.

"Hah! Ticklish, are we?"

"Sto-op!"

After a few minutes, Mira did stop, Marie's chest rising and falling as she sucked in air. She glared at Mira breathlessly.

"That was mean."

Mira shrugged.

"It's not over yet."

"...what." Marie deadpanned.

Mira sat behind her and placed a hand on her tentacles. Marie whimpered, moved as if she was trying to cover her mouth, before realising she was in a straitjacket. She tensed up as Mira placed another hand on her head, rotating her fingers as she ran them down the length of her tentacles. Marie shivered.

"Y-you couldn't have waited till later?"

"Nope."

Marie moaned when Mira squeezed her hands together before she carried on massaging her head.

"I wonder if..."

Marie sat bolt upright when Mira held one tentacle between her teeth and took the other two in her hands, twisting them around and putting them into a braid. Marie almost screamed with every tug. Mira stood up, opening draws until she found a small mirror, and held it up to Marie, lifting the braid with her other hand.

"That's beautiful. Now, are you going to let me out of this straitjacket?"

"Hmm..." Mira put a hand to her chin in fake confusion. She grinned, practically pouncing on Marie and pulling her into a kiss. "Not _just_ yet."

* * *

In a back room of the studio, Callie pulled out her phone, quickly dialling a number before holding it up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Vy! How are you?"

"Oh, hi Cal. I'm fine, thanks."

"How's work going?"

"Construction work in this place called Cameroon. At least, that's what the historians called it. You wouldn't believe what we've found here. Digging the foundations for the crew building turned into an archeological field day."

"Really? How so?"

"Bones, Cal. Human remains. Some of these skeletons are complete! It's amazing. It looks like some kind of ritual site."

"Wow, you almost sound like a historian."

"Aww, come on, it's not a crime to be interested, is it?"

"No! Not at all. I'm kinda interested, actually."

"You could get a flight here. There's an absolutely beautiful lake here."

"A flight? Can't I just super jump?"

"Good luck, it's almost halfway around the world."

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said offshore."

"Heh, I wasn't. Anyway, that was a couple of weeks ago. I should be home soon."

"That's what I'm worried about." Callie sniffed.

"What? Why?"

"You've been out of the loop. Over the past couple of weeks, groups of Inklings have gone missing, only to turn up dead later on."

"That's horrible."

"I don't want that to happen to you."

"Listen, when I get back, I'll come straight to you."

"I hope you don't mind sharing an apartment with three girls then."

"Three?"

"Marie's got herself a lady friend."

"Didn't have her down to swing that way. Well, whatever. Why don't you come over to my place?"

"Can't leave Marie. I'm her legal custodian."

"I'll ask about that when I get back. See you soon."

"Love you, Vy."

"I love you too."

Callie ended the call, holding the phone to her chest before pocketing it. She sighed, stepping back out into the studio and sitting down in the parlour, waving at the few fans stood by the window. She read through the news, preparing what she was going to say when the cameras went up. Sighing, she waved to the camera crew, an anemone carrying a tripod in. Callie stretched her fingers and stood.

"It's Inkopolis news time!" She said. "No Marie today, she's taking care of something at the moment, but rest assured, she's fine. The news, however, is not." She took a deep breath as the faces of six Inklings appeared on-screen. "Five of these Inklings have shown up. Well, at least five bodies have. They are yet to be identified."

She was about to go on to the stage news when someone waving caught her eye. She turned, and saw that it was Marie. She smiled and walked in front of the camera. Callie noticed she had a braid in her tentacles.

"The memorial battle will be taking place later today. It'll be Attack/Defend across a random rotation of maps. The only restriction is that you must use a Heavy or Mini Splatling to participate."

Callie shrugged at the camera.

"There you have the news, folks. Be in the plaza for six o clock."

The pair ran through the stage rotations, a chorus of "Stay fresh!" filling the studio as they finished. As the cameras were moved away, the pair sat down. Callie pointed to Marie's tentacles.

"Who did that?"

"Mira did."

"Got to admit, that's pretty good."

"She sort of sprung it on me."

"Sneaky. That's what you get for supporting Team Ninja."

"Shut up, that Splatfest was ages ago."

The sisters lapsed into silence, the faint sounds of the plaza drifting through the glass wall. As Marie waved at a fan, she noticed something across the plaza, stood on top of one of the enormous statues. She squinted at it, going cold when she saw that it was the eyeless boy. It was staring straight at her, and he titled his head, rows of sharp yellow teeth glistening as he grinned at her. From behind him, stood a girl, also eyeless, and also grinning. Marie kept her gaze on them.

"Callie. Across the plaza, on the statue."

"What?"

"Just look, damnit."

Callie followed her point, frowning.

"Where are you looking?"

Marie glanced at Callie, standing up and pointing directly at the statue, only to see that the two eyeless beings were gone.

"They're gone..."

"What? Who's gone?"

Marie sat down again, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"There were two eyeless Inklings."

"Two?"

"A boy and a girl."

Callie glanced out of the window.

"Home. Now."

She almost dragged her cousin out of the studio, leading her away by the hand and super jumping back to their apartment. Marie followed her inside and begrudgingly sat at the table. Mira poked her head out of the bedroom.

"Back so soon?"

"Not now, Mira."

The Octoling frowned and approached, sitting down with the sisters.

"What happened?"

"Marie saw two eyeless Inklings."

"Two of them?"

"Yes. Two. The second one's a girl."

Mira whimpered.

"Not another one..."

"Never mind that, what does it mean? You said that you saw them before the next lot went missing and before they turn up dead! What the hello we do?" Callie ranted.

"I don't know!" Marie yelled back. "I don't have control over this. They do! The eyeless things! They are running the show and laughing at us while we panic!" She clutched her head, groaning. "This whole thing makes my head hurt. These things are mind-fucking me and there's _nothing I can do_. Do you know how that feels, Callie?"

Marie looked up, and saw her cousin and Mira both on the brink of tears. Marie teared up herself.

"Look, I'm sorry, it's just too much at the moment, the disappearances, the bodies, I can barely take it."

"No." Callie nodded. "I don't understand. But you know what?" She stood up and grabbed Marie by the shoulders and shook her. "Get. A. Grip. This is just as hard for us, trying to deal with this. Come on, you have a memorial battle to present."

"Hey, don't write yourself out of this. You-"

"Oh, and for the record, Marie..." Callie turned. "I actually do know how it feels to have someone claw their way into your head, now that I think about it. I was forced to stab Misha, for crying out loud. So don't put yourself above me."

This time, Marie almost broke down crying.

"Callie, I- I'm sorry."

"I know. Think a little, alright? You're not the only one with problems."

Callie walked out, and Marie's head hit the table.

"Ugh... I'm such a failure..."

"Hey!" Mira barked. "Don't you dare call yourself a failure."

"But I am though! I can't even take care of myself."

"That's garbage, and you know it."

"I spent a week in an asylum. What does that say about me?"

"It says that you were hurt by something. Something is still trying to hurt you, Marie, and you can't just sit around and let it."

Marie grumbled and sat up, her head lolling back. Mira stood behind her and leaned over her.

"You are _not_ a failure. You're a pop sensation."

"All you need is practice."

"You're a very charismatic news host."

"Anyone could do it."

Mira placed both hands on the sides of Marie's head, leaning in close.

"You can do amazing things with those fingers of yours."

"Gross!" Callie yelled from the other room.

"So stop beating yourself up and get a grip. What would your friend Misha think?"

"He would call me 'leetle baby squid'." Marie replied, putting on the heavy accent he had always had.

"Is that any state to run a memorial in?"

"No..."

"Of course it bloody isn't!" She softened, checking the clock on the wall. "Look, there's about eight hours before the memorial, and I'd say that's plenty of time to... You know..."

"Dirty girl."

Mira laughed and walked away, and Marie followed her. Callie rolled her eyes when she heard the bedroom door slam again.

 _Lewd pair._

* * *

Eight hours later, Callie and Marie were stood atop a single truck in the plaza. It was a stark difference to the Splatfest, where there would be two trucks laced with speakers and lights, the sisters stood on one each. Rather than concert equipment, there was a modest amplifier and a few microphones. Behind the girls was an enormous picture of Misha, the frame constructed of Splatlings lashed together. Marie tapped the mic, the thump echoing around the plaza before she spoke to the crowd of Inklings gathered in front of her.

"We're all here to remember Misha the Giant, who was taken from us by a coward's attack. A moment of silence, please." She bowed her head for a few seconds, swallowing nervously and taking a few deep breaths before speaking again. "Misha may have looked like a monster, but he was one of the friendliest people I knew. He contributed to our society, and help in bringing down Atra, the Octoling warmonger who had her sights set on our city. So, to remember him, we're doing Attack/Defend, on all stages, with Splatlings only. He wouldn't want us to be sad, so let's go and have some fun."

She pressed a button, and the lobby opened, a row of fireworks launching from the truck, accompanied by a cheer from the crowd and respectful applause.

"So, now what? No songs or anything?" Callie asked.

"Nope." Marie turned around, hefting a Heavy Splatling from a stand. "What kind if friend would I be if I didn't participate?"

Callie grinned.

"Excellent. In that case..." She swung a Mini Splatling from behind her back. "I guess I'll see you out there."

Marie grinned and leapt from the truck, walking into the lobby much to the surprise of many Inklings. Marie stepped into the lobby, looking back out at Callie as the doors closed for the next match. She stepped to one side as the lights changed colour, the Inklings inside picking a side between light blue and purple. The three Inklings closest to her quickly stepped towards her, locking the remaining four into the other team. They didn't look particularly upset- rather, the boys and girl now stood around Marie looked ecstatic. She caught the eye of the enemy team.

"Don't worry, I'm already taken."

She grinned as she saw two of the three Inklings on her team sag slightly. Kelp Dome appeared on the screens, a launch pad rising out of the floor. The older Inkling grinned.

"Shall we?"

* * *

When Callie and Marie had left to run the memorial battle, Mira had opted to stay inside. She hadn't known Misha, but she had heard that he and Marie were close, so she looked around and found out what little information she could in order to better understand the memorial. She was surprised to find that Misha himself had made a new set of battle rules that were now being played in his memory. He had also helped take down Atra, but was captured in the meanwhile. Mira smiled- it was nice to see that some people cared about the fate of non-military Octolings.

Mira had become bored after a while, and decided to head back to the refugee shelter for the duration of the battle. Despite its unfortunate purpose, she had found that she had quite an attachment to the place now. Walking through the now-deserted streets, she soon reached the shelter- a repurposed three-story house that the owner very kindly retrofitted for the Octoling refugees- and stepped through the doors and was immediately immobilised by Octoling children throwing themselves at her legs.

"Miss Mira!" They chorused, a very young girl wrapping herself around Mira's shin while another older boy hugged her waist. Many more stood around. They all looked towards the stairs as footsteps echoes around the atrium, the house owner emerging from the upper floors; an Inkling wearing a simple tee shirt and cargo pants- despite his utilitarian clothes, he had an air of power about him.

"Now, who could ever get the kids to make as much noise as that? Hello Mira, here for a visit? I thought you would have been battling."

"Hello, Sir-"

"Please, just Shast will do."

"Hello Shast. No, I'm not much for battling."

"Hmm, I don't really blame you. Still, you're a great performer."

"Memorials aren't really things that you perform at."

"I guess that's fair enough. Children!" The massed children turned their attention to Shast. "You should be with your guardians. Off you go."

As the children filtered away, some of them heading upstairs while others stayed on the ground floor. Mira arched an eyebrow.

"Guardians?"

"I can't use the word 'parents' because not all of them have them."

"Fair enough. What are the numbers like?"

"Glad you asked." Shast said, stepping off the stairs and opening a ledger that was hidden underneath. "Alsha was adopted a few days ago, and now lives with an Inkling family. A group of jellies adopted Kudan and his twin brother Ludan. The Utadi family managed to buy a property, so all four of them are gone, and, well, you moved out. That makes eight vacancies at the moment."

"Sounds like things are going well for you."

"Well, I don't expect I'll ever have my house to myself ever again. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Loneliness can hurt a man, you know?"

"I'll take your word for it. How many are still here?"

"Give me one second..." Shast dragged his finger down the page, counting the many names there. "Sixty-seven. But that's only here. I'm certain there are other shelters elsewhere in the city, because there were a couple hundred Octolings that came through from the valley. But no other Octarians, I noticed. Across the city, none. If you don't mind me asking, why is that?"

"Ah." Mira winced. "It's... Um... It's a bit harsh really."

"If you don't want to explain it, you don't have to."

"Yeah, it's not a nice subject."

"Alright then. Well then, why are you here? Just dropping in?"

"Pretty much. I thought I'd come and sing for the children."

"Well, you're practically oozing confidence. Living with the sisters has done that for you, hasn't it?"

"Probably."

"Well, whatever happened, it's a good thing. I remember when you first got here, you barely talked of even looked at anyone. Then you went walkabout..."

"That was after I met Marie for the first time."

"Is it now? Never mind, you came here to perform and perform you shall. Which room do you want?"

"Erm, the one with the fireplace?"

"Of course. You know where you're going?"

"Of course."

Walking down the corridor to the left, Mira opened the end door, many eyes staring back at her, wide with excitement. She sat with her back to the fire, before she began to sing.

Hours later, Mira said goodbye to the children and Shast, leaving the house and heading back to Flounder Heights. She could have super jumped, but the decided not to, instead choosing to make her way through the streets. For once, it was utterly silent- no bass thumping away in the background. When she passed the plaza, she saw why; Inklings were taking turns to put a hand print on an enormous image of who she assumed was Misha. Mira smiled and turned away, continuing her walk. Inside the warmth of the apartment, she removed her jumper, sat down and poured herself a drink. Her throat was killing her. A few minutes later, Callie walked in, without Marie.

"Have you seen Marie?" She asked.

"No, why?"

"Ah, she's probably gone for a walk. She'll be back soon."

The next morning, there was still no sign of Marie. Callie frowned when she poked her head into her room and saw only Mira there, backing out and going back to her own room and dressing herself. She had news to show. She quietly closed and locked the door before super jumping to the studio, walking inside and collecting her news for the morning, blanching when she saw that another group of Inklings had disappeared. A pit opened in her stomach when she realised only five were on the paper before her. She dropped to her knees when she comprehended the awful gravity of the situation.

"She's gone... It took her..."

"Oh, Callie, do you know who the sixth may be?"

She looked at the person who talked, an anemone with a pair of headphones around his neck. He bore a striking resemblance to Annie; he was taken aback by Callie's despairing expression.

"Yeah. I know the last one. It's Marie."


	7. Life

**Mario Sunshine? Never played it, so I'm not entirely sure of the significance of eyeless things and statues.**

 **I originally planned for this chapter to be longer, but it broke 3k words and I cut it short. You'll get the rest in the next chapter.**

Callie was in shock- she knew the signs, rapid breathing, difficulty thinking straight, an adrenaline rush. She collapsed onto her side, fingers digging into her head.

"She's gone..."

She didn't know how long she lay there for, the cameraman standing above her, utterly at a loss as to what to do next. Deciding on a course of action, he removed his jacket and lay it over Callie, who barely even reacted. He turned to the rest of the crew, who were just as confused and worried as he was.

"Um... Ambulance?"

Someone immediately took a phone out and began dialling. Meanwhile, Callie argued with herself, serving to confuse the cameraman even more.

"She might not be gone, she could just be staying at a friend's... _she's gone and you failed her_... No, she's still out there... _out there in the eyeless thing's clutches_..."

She was snapped out of her internal argument when a shrill ringing filled her ears, and it took her a few seconds to stop staring into the distance and pull her phone out if her pocket, answering when she saw Vytus' face on the screen.

"V-Vy?"

"Callie. It's about the dig site."

"Marie's gone."

"I figured, since beneath the site we found caves, and we were just chased out of it by some tall eyeless freak. It..." Callie heard Vytus sigh. "It was carrying Marie."

"Were there any others?"

"Yeah, there were. Didn't get an exact count though."

"Right, right, just give me a second to think... You said this was in that Cameroon place?"

"Yes, but if you're thinking of bringing the forces here, don't. These things to not take aggression well, especially the tall one."

"Wait, tall one?"

"Yeah, there are two Inklings and a really tall one. It looks like a skeleton, covered in this tar."

"Not another one..." Callie turned to anemone that had given her the missing persons list. "Where did you get this info?"

"Erm... Judd. He said he was watching the last match of the night, a three on three match, and watched as the fighters sank into some sort of black ink."

"Vy? Can you add to it?"

"Not really, but- hold on."

Vytus suddenly went silent, and Callie's screen suddenly turned on, a view of a dark lake showing. It was difficult to make out, but Callie could just see three shapes stood in the mouth of the cave, slowly approaching. Vytus backed away, and Callie could see several other Inklings and research staff stood around in a wide arc, giving the eyeless creatures a wide berth. She watched as someone ran forward, an Inkling carrying a Tentatek Splattershot, against the protests of the group. As soon as they brought the weapon to bear, the skeletal _thing_ simply pointed, black spears erupting from the ground and skewering the Inkling's legs. Another lance went straight through his hand, forcing him to drop his weapon. He struggled visibly.

"What the hell?" He shouted. "I can't change! I'm stuck!"

He watched as the skeletal creature approached and placed its bony hands on either side of his head. He immediately started screaming, his eyes rolling back in his head as his entire body shrivelled, desiccating as the skeleton dug its fingers into his head. His scream suddenly cut off as his vocal chords snapped, his breath just leaving in short whimpers as the last of his life evaporated. The skeleton dropped his body, and all three locked their "sight" on the camera Vytus was holding. The Inklings moved to the body and propped it up, its face facing the camera.

"We are the Culus. You will see as we see."

The Culus Inklings each tore an eye out, and the golem spread its arms and rose into the air, brimming with tar before it slammed down, its hands disappearing into the ground. Vytus super jumped, the earth banking away. Just before he flew, he caught sight of grasping arms rising from the ground, ensnaring the researchers who were physically unable to super jump and those that were too slow. Callie also saw the arms, and almost threw up. When the sound of rushing air no longer erupted from the phone, she moved it back to her ear.

"How many got away?" She asked quietly.

"Me and two others."

"What do we do?"

"I don't know, Cal. I don't know."

* * *

Drowning. That's what it felt like when blackness had spread across Bluefin Depot, crawling from the dark corners between walls before it surged across the rest of the arena. Marie had watched the tar take its first victim, dragging the poor soul down and under. She and another boy had taken each other in hand and ran, the tar slithering toward their ankles. They had escaped what Marie swore were fingers reaching from the surface for a few minutes before a second wave appeared in front of them, cutting them off. The boy with Marie used a Bubbler, to no apparent effect- the darkness dragged them down regardless, pulling the sphere of protective energy with them. When it gave out, Marie lost sight of the boy, and was immediately covered in tar, the foul liquid physically prising her mouth open and forcing its way inside. She soon passed out, her struggles ceasing as the lack of oxygen got to her.

When she awoke, she was in a different environment altogether. The walls were of jagged stone, as was the floor and ceiling. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and Marie realised she was in a cave. She could not smell the familiar smells of Inkopolis. As she woke up more, she saw that tar covered the floor, and that she was knelt in it. It came halfway up her thighs, and her arms were rooted in place with tar as well, preventing her from standing. She attempted to pull her left arm in experimentally, wincing as the tar became razor-sharp, digging into her flesh. She quickly dropped the pressure, and the liquid relaxed again, reverting to a fairly loose, but firm hold.

The Inkling then made the shocking realisation that she was naked. She screamed out in the darkness, trying to pull her legs together and ending up with hundreds of tiny stab wounds for her trouble. She huffed, grimacing as the tar seemingly sensed her discomfort following her attempt to preserve her dignity. She screamed again when the tar began to pull her limbs in opposite directions, the darkness creeping up the side of the cave, hoisting her arms as it did so, leaving her suspended in a star shape. She began to sob, tears rolling down her face and dripping into the tar. Moments later, an emaciated creature, bent double, emerged from the tar in front of her, stretching to its full height once it had clearance. Marie saw that it was barely more than yellowed and fractured bones with tar coiling around the dead flesh that rested on them. It looked like a human skeleton, but on closer inspection, she saw no eyes sockets or a tell-tale hole where the nose would be. Instead, it had a featureless plate of bone above its lower jaw. She glared at it, and it glared back.

"What the hell are you? Why are you doing this to me?"

It didn't respond, and instead it raised both arms, folding them across its ribcage, as if it was wearing a straitjacket. The tar immediately shifted, following the golem's movements and yanking Marie's arms across her chest. She looked up as it approached, tears in her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"Soon, you shall see as we see."

The tar moved, spreading across her body, covering it completely. This time, she kept her mouth firmly shut, not giving it any chance to get inside. She glared as it finished spreading, leaving only her face uncovered. The golem tilted its head to the side, and Marie smirked.

 _Hah, not this time._

Her cocky smirk faded when the tar crawled across her face, tapping her face, her ears, her eyes. One tendril tapped her nose, and the fear came rushing back all at once. She screamed as it forced its way into her nostrils, and her scream was cut off as it clawed its way into her throat and mouth, her vision blurring as she choked on the substance for the second time.

"Marie!"

* * *

She started awake, in her own bed, Mira sat beside her, her face teared with worry. When the Octoling saw that she was awake, she gasped and embraced her.

"I was so worried..."

Marie frowned, rubbing her head. She remembered something, something like a dream. It faded from her mind and she hugged Mira back.

"What happened?" Marie mumbled through Mira's tentacles. The Octoling released her and sat back.

"It looked like you were having a really bad nightmare."

"Well whatever it was, I can't remember it now. Any news?"

"Well, Callie's gone to do it. You probably have time to catch her if you get up now."

"Thanks."

Marie went to sit up, but in one swift motion, Mira moved on top of her and held her arms down, leaning in so that her nose barely touched Marie's.

"Hey, come on, I have to go to work..."

"No you don't..."

"No, really." Mira leaned back as Marie looked off to the left. "Something's bugging me, something that I can't quite remember, like a dream."

"Well, you did just wake up from one."

"No, no no no, it was important, like my life depended on it, like I was in danger."

"What do you think it could be, Marie?"

The Inkling frowned; Mira's voice sounded different. She looked up at her and screamed as her love's face decayed, her eyes becoming dark and liquid, streaming down her face and onto Marie like putrid tears. The rest of her features vanished, leaving black tentacles and a mouth full of razor-like teeth.

 _"What could it be?"_

"Marie!"

She snapped her eyes open, slowly looking up at Mira, who looked close to tears.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Marie looked around, panicked. There was no tar, and Mira's face was still intact. She took a deep breath.

"...No..."

"What do you want to do?"

"I think... I think I'll go for a walk. Take my mind off things."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry, I have a phone."

Marie dressed herself and left, breathing deeply when she got outside. Something felt off about the air, like it had a stale quality to it, and it felt too heavy for the winter. She shrugged it off and blamed it on tiredness, heading into the trees, feeling the few remaining leaves slide under her feet. Marie took care where she put her feet- she didn't want to slip up. She didn't know why, but she found herself drawn to the clearing where she had found the first group of dead Inklings. She hadn't visited it since that day, but now she felt the need to inspect. Breaking from the treeline, she stood behind the bench, looking closely at where the eyes had been. There were no bloodstains in the wood. Marie frowned. She swore that blood would have at least left some sort of mark. She looked up at the trees, seeing that the branches were perfect, and not shaped into spears like they had been when Inklings had been hanging from them.

 _Something definitely isn't right._

Turning away, she headed towards the plaza, deciding that she would meet Callie in the studio. Pulling her coat a little tighter in the frigid wind, she made her way out of the clearing, a bloodstain appearing on the bench as she went.

When she did eventually reach the plaza, she was caught off guard by the sheer amount of laughter there- everyone was smiling and laughing at something, even those emerging from the lobby partially covered in ink- the losing teams were all laughing. Many other inklings were pointing towards the centre of a circle that had formed around one of the walls. She caught the attention of one of the boys stood at the edge of the ring.

"Excuse me? Why is everyone laughing?"

"Is there a reason not to? We won today and two people are banging over there, why not enjoy the show and laugh about it?"

He pointed to the inside of the ring. Pushing herself into a position in which she could see, Marie discovered what all the fuss was about- two Inklings were indeed going at it in the plaza, the boy on his back and covering his face while his partner bounced up and down on top of him, clearly enjoying herself despite the public spectacle. The boy to whom Marie had spoken tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned.

"See? Pretty funny, isn't it?"

"Come on! I know you love it, all this attention! Hands out of the way!" Yelled the girl from inside the circle. The Inkling in front of Marie burst out laughing anew. Marie rolled her eyes when another boy joined the two inside the ring, followed by two more girls and another boy. Marie pushed herself out as the situation devolved, trying to block out the sounds of slapping flesh and lust-filled screams. She shuddered and stepped into the studio, Callie's head shooting up from the table when she heard the door close.

"Marie! You're here."

"Yes. I missed the news, didn't I?"

"Yep. Though, we didn't really say much."

"Why not?"

Callie arched a brow and jerked a thumb to the orgy happening below them in the plaza. Marie gagged when she saw that it had pretty much tripled in size between her leaving the circle and reaching the studio.

"That's gross."

"Yeah. That lot aren't complaining though, and the police don't really feel like stopping about twenty naked people."

"Well I wouldn't want to either."

"And because of that, the show goes on."

"Gross."

The pair lapsed into silence for a few seconds before Callie spoke.

"So are you alright? Mira tells me you were having a pretty bad dream."

"I was. I can't remember what it was though."

"She also mentioned how you suddenly screamed and recoiled from her. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I... Think so?"

Callie's eyes narrowed.

"You tell us if there's something wrong, okay? We have to take care of you."

"Alright, alright."

After sitting at the table for a few hours, more and more fans started appearing at the window. Looking over them, Marie saw that the orgy seemed to have stopped, as various Inklings were pulling clothes off the ground and dispersing. Marie cringed as the last one left, and a man with a power washed began spraying the ground.

 _Worst job ever._

Marie stretched and stood up.

"Well, I'm going to go home, since there's nothing to report."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go and do what you need to do, if you know what I mean."

Marie glared as Callie snorted with laughter. Scowling, she walked out into the plaza, taking care not to stand in any of the cleansing gel being spread across the Tarmac. As she walked out of the plaza, she didn't see the one Inkling in the entire crowd who wasn't smiling.

* * *

That night, while Mira slept hugging Marie's arm, the Inkling herself couldn't sleep. She knew she should be tired, but her body felt wide awake. Not even the sound of Mira's rhythmic breathing could do anything to dampen the energy that was currently coursing through her. She sighed and turned over, looking towards the tell-tale white glow of the moon through the thin curtain. She stared absentmindedly, feeling the minutes pass agonisingly slowly while her body refused to shut down. A shadow passing by the window caught her eye, and a tapping caught her attention. She dismissed it as just a sound of the night, but when it came again, she disentangled herself from Mira and went to the window, hastily throwing a shirt on as she did so. She pulled back the curtain, a flash of blue dragging her attention to the right. She arched a brow when she saw that an Inkling had made a path all the way up the wall, and was now hanging from Marie's window, his hand extended. Catching the hint, she took his hand in her own, her colour changing almost instantly. She jumped, travelling down the blue stripe on the wall until she hit the ground, the Inkling stood in front of her. A boy. He looked familiar, the memory of his face hovering at the edge of Marie's mind.

"Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Yes. Really think about it."

Despite her efforts, she could not place his face.

"I'm sorry. I don't remember."

"That means their trap is working."

"Trap? Whose trap?"

"What do they call themselves? The Culus?"

"Those eyeless things?"

The boy smiled.

"So you remember something. Yes, the eyeless things."

"I remember them. And now I remember you, I saw you and the eyeless things in a nightmare."

His eyes widened.

"What happened in the nightmare?"

Marie frowned, trying to remember the details.

"We were... Battling, and then there was a wave of... Black? Then you used a Bubbler... And..."

"And?"

"...I can't remember."

"That's fine. Oh, I'm Raaz. I never told you my name, Marie."

"I guess you know my name already. So what? I had a nightmare. Why have you come here?"

"What if I told you that the nightmare was your only chance to survive?"

"That makes no sense."

"What if I told you that I had the same one?"

Marie stopped, looking at Raaz.

"What?"

"Unfortunately for us, even though we feel awake, this," he spread his arms and spun. "This is the true nightmare."

"I don't understand."

Raaz hummed, before his eyes lit up.

"The plaza today. Before the... Well, you know, kicked off. What was strange?"

"Well, there was an orgy, and... And everyone was smiling."

"Good. Even the ones who came out of the lobby beaten. Why?"

"Well, they did get a free show."

"I don't know about you, but I get pretty salty when I lose. An orgy wouldn't cheer me up that much."

Marie folded her arms, a scowl on her face.

"Alright then. Why is it strange?"

"Because they're not real. All of them, apart from you, me, and four others, the rest are fakes."

"How can you say that?"

"Because they miss small details." Raaz barked. "Mind you, they missed a huge detail with my brother- he can't feel emotion, and I walk home and he's laughing his ass off! This can't be real. After that, I kept noticing things. Slip-ups, like a mirror not showing an exact reflection."

"How?" Marie questioned. "If this isn't real, how can you be talking to me?"

"Do you remember the wave of black that swallowed us?"

"Yes."

"We're all sharing the same dream. Six of us, you, me and the other four who were on the battlefield at the time. It's the tar, it's alive and all connected. We... We're inside the tar. I bet it's eating us alive or something. But for the dream to be shared, our minds must be linked. Hence why I'm talking to you now."

"Alright. If this is a dream, how do we wake up?"

"I don't know. I think when you're dreaming, the more "normal" it is, the less likely you are to wake up. Obviously, nightmares aren't normal which is why you can be scared awake."

"So look for mistakes? Is that it?"

"No." Raaz winced. "If that was true, I'd have woken by now. Also, there are four more who believe the dream is real. There was the one in the plaza, who won't be leaving any time soon because of his "girlfriend" and there's three more who I don't know." He checked his watch. "Crap. I need to go back, or I'm going to pass out here. You need to get back into bed, otherwise you're going to fall asleep right here."

"But I-"

"Do not argue! Find me tomorrow by the lobby."

With that, he super jumped away, and Marie turned and swam up the ink back into her room, closing the window quietly. She had barely taken her shirt off when overwhelming fatigue hit her, and she collapsed onto the mattress. As she sank into sleep, she swore she heard the faint sound of laughter.


	8. Surface

**It's good that some of you are getting scared. You should fear the Culus...**

Waking up next to Mira was comforting, helping to put Marie's troubled mind at rest. However, Raaz' words from the previous night weighed heavy in her thoughts, and she reminded herself that if Raaz had been telling the truth, the Octoling breathing gently against the crook of her neck was just a figment of the Culus nightmare. She remembered Raaz's final instruction before he had vanished, and began to pull herself out of bed, but a hand closed around hers, tugging her back towards the covers.

"Noooo, keep me waaaaarm..."

Marie allowed herself to be pulled back down, Mira's arms reaching around and encircling her in a warm embrace. The Octoling pulled her close, Mira's chest pressing against her back and her legs crossing over Marie's effectively restraining her.

"You're awfully grabby this morning." She deadpanned.

"I like big, comfy heat sources." Mira mumbled, one of her hands wandering to Marie's chest while the other dragged down her belly. The Inkling swallowed nervously.

 _I can't let her get to me._

"So sorry, but I can't miss the news today." Marie pulled away, even as Mira protested and pouted. "I'll make it up to you later, alright?"

"I'll hold you to it."

"Good."

Marie washed and dressed, saying good morning to Callie when she emerged from her room.

 _Another fake._ she reminded herself. Marie headed to the kitchen, pouring herself some cereal and chewing on it while she waited for Callie to be ready. She had to admit, it tasted real. Rolling her eyes, she finished her breakfast, quickly brushing her beak when Callie emerged. The pair headed off, super jumping to the plaza. Callie smiled the whole time, much like the images of Inklings that filled the plaza. The pair were immediately handed a piece of paper upon entering the studio. Marie watched Callie's eyes flick across the page, and Marie looked down at hers, looking back at her cousin when she saw it was blank. When she looked back at the page, lines of text had appeared.

 _Mistakes._

She read the newly-appeared text before stepping in front of the camera.

"Hold onto your tentacles..."

"It's Inkopolis news time!"

"Here's today's standard rotation!"

The Kelp Dome appeared on-screen.

"Kelp Dome! Marie! Do you like the exotic stuff they grow here?"

"They are quite pretty, some of them."

"Moray Towers! How long do you think it'd take to reach the ground from up there?"

"Always sunshine and rainbows with you, isn't it?"

"Now for the ranked rotation, for Tower Control! Museum D'Alfonsino! I love all the art here!"

"At least we scientists have jobs."

"Bluefin Depot! I hear that a load of Inklings went missing here!"

"Really? Scary."

"Well that concludes the news. Remember..."

"Stay fresh!" The pair finished, Marie putting fake enthusiasm into the catchphrase. The camera was moved away, and Marie immediately headed for the door.

"Going somewhere?"

"For a walk."

"Again?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand why you like walking so much."

"Maybe you never will, if all you do is sit around all day." Marie snarked.

"Touché."

With that, Marie walked out of the studio, making her way to the lobby. Some of the not-Inklings actually stopped smiling, their expression replaced with one of confusion- the Squid Sisters hardly ever battled in public. Marie walked up the steps and leant against the wall, her enormous coat keeping the worst of the cold at bay. With Raaz not in sight, she waited, starting slightly when a hushed voice called her name from directly beside her.

"Marie."

"Good grief, Raaz, you startled me."

"Sorry, it's just I'm good at sneaking around."

Turning to face the boy, Marie saw his blue tentacles were longer than average, trailing down to between his shoulders. His eyes were a vibrant shade of pink, and he was bundled up in a huge coat, like she was.

"Shall we take a walk?"

Marie nodded and followed him out of the plaza, navigating the streets until they came to the edge of the woodland path. She stepped in behind Raaz.

"So Raaz, how old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"And your brother?"

"You remembered! Good. He's thirteen."

"And does he still have emotion?"

"Not any more, I think the Culus twigged that it wasn't right."

"What, they just changed it?"

"I think they're in total control of this world. You have to remember that since we're sleeping, we're subject to the rules of the nightmare. And the Culus change those rules whenever they want."

They walked deeper into the woods, the winter mist curling around the trees.

"How do you know all this?"

"I don't really know. If you try to think about it, you'll understand what I mean."

Stopping and closing her eyes, Marie pictured the Culus golem in her mind. Suddenly, all around her, she heard whispers, the whispers of thousands of voices. Her view of the world darkened, the blackness closing in as the voices intensified. She was brought back to reality as Raaz called her name, the dark receding. The voices remained in the back of her mind.

"You heard the voices?"

"Y-yeah. That was... Overwhelming."

"I know how you feel. I think they use the tar to communicate telepathically, but since we're in the tar, it's like we're tapping a phone line. We can hear what's going on. It's also the reason why they can create a convincing dream- they read our minds."

Marie's eyes widened.

"That means they can hear us."

"Not exactly. In this dream, if they tried to read your mind, you'd feel it and that would shatter the illusion. That's my theory."

The pair walked in silence for a while longer, the mist fully shrouding the city, hiding it from view. All they could see were the trees, and the path stretching into nothingness.

"Let's talk escape. How do we get out?" Marie asked.

"I've made preparations. I'm going to have to kill my brother."

"You're going to do what?!"

"As far as I know, he is the only thing keeping me anchored to this reality. If I remove that anchor, I rise out of this nightmare and back into the real world. Same with you."

"How could you kill your brother?"

"He is NOT my brother!" Raaz snapped, and Marie took a step back. "He is a pale reflection of my brother. He was laughing. My brother cannot comprehend emotion. This laughing creature is not the boy I know." He ran a hand through his tentacles, sighing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. It just I hate these things for tempting me with the hope that my brother could feel emotion again. A boy that age needs to be happy."

"I... I understand. I think."

"Then make your preparations. I can't just walk into a workshop and make a second knife."

He lifted his coat slightly, and Marie saw the leather sheath hanging and his waist. She shuddered.

"What about Mira?"

"Who's Mira?"

"My... My girlfriend."

"You'll have to do something to remove her from the nightmare. And since death is pretty absolute..."

"But what if she's real? What if I find that I've gone and killed the love of my life?"

"Do something to prove to yourself that she's not real." He stopped. "Ah, here we are."

Marie stopped just behind him, looking over the top of his head and frowning. They were at the edge of the treeline, exactly where they went in.

"But... I could have sworn we went straight..."

"I found this out the yesterday when I tried to go further inland. It just spat me out back where I started. If you really concentrate, I bet you could pinpoint the exact point at which reality loops."

Marie turned and ran into the fog again, counting her steps in her head as the mist stung her face. As soon as she saw Raaz again, she stopped, turned again and walked into the fog, this time slowing down when she drew close to the number of steps she counted. She soon felt a slight change in the wind, where it stopped blowing into her face and instead blew from behind. She looked at Raaz.

"You done?" He asked.

"I felt it. About twenty paces in."

"There's similar fog out over the ocean. We're trapped in a small bubble of memories. I guess the Culus feel that their world won't be convincing past this point. Not enough memories to draw from, or something."

"Something like that."

"Look, Marie." The pair faced each other. "I know it sounds awful, but I have to kill my brother. You have to kill Mira. I'm already convinced that my brother is not actually my brother. You have to convince yourself that it's not Mira." He checked his watch. "Get back to me tomorrow, we'll talk more then."

He super jumped away almost instantly, vanishing from Marie's sight. She sighed and super jumped herself, landing outside Flounder Heights and heading inside to escape the cold. She waited for the lift, the cables whirring as she began to unzip her coat. When she was finally stood inside the apartment, she took the coat off, hanging it up to get rid of the water that had settled on it. Mira turned away from the pot she was tending to on the stove.

"Oh, you're back."

"Is that all the greeting I'm getting?"

Mira looked between Marie and the pot before smirking. "You want a welcome? I'm busy."

Marie crept up behind Mira, resting her head on the Octoling's shoulder and wrapping her arms around her waist.

"What's cooking?"

"Stew."

"What kind of stew?"

"Beef."

"Where in the world did you manage to find beef?"

"They had some at the market today. It was expensive, but I wanted to do something nice for you..."

 _She's trying to keep me here._

"Well it smells delicious. When will it be ready?"

"Funny you should ask." Mira picked up a heavy lid and placed it on the pot. "A few hours."

"Hours?"

"Slow-cooked beef is the best."

"I'll take your word for it."

"So... Now that I'm not busy..." Mira turned and kissed Marie. "How about you pay me back for this morning?" One hand crept into Marie's pants. "You still owe me."

"Right now?" Marie breathed. "That's not very... Hygienic."

"No, but..." Mira collapsed onto her knees, pulling Marie down with her. "I don't feel like moving. I want you to stay here... With me..."

 _If I stop her now, she'll know something's wrong._

"Bed. Now. I'm not doing this where it's still kinda cold."

"Carry me?"

"Fiiiiiiine."

The pair stood up, and Mira leapt at Marie, her arms folding around her neck. The Inkling caught her, carried her into the bedroom and dropped her onto the bed, joining her moments later, two pairs of hands wandering about, undoing zips and removing shirts. Mira pulled Marie close.

"And now... For payback."

* * *

Later that day, Mira and Marie were lay in bed, keeping each other warm against the cold air outside. Mira was snoring quietly. Marie, on the other hand, was not.

 _Think. I need to confirm that she's not Mira._

Pulling herself out of the embrace, shaking when Mira's fingers slid out of her, Marie put on a shirt and began to dress herself while Mira sat up in bed.

"Aww, but I was _sooo_ warm..."

"Deal with it. I have a request."

"Go on."

"Will you braid my tentacles again?" Marie sat on the edge of her bed, allowing her tentacles to grow longer.

"Erm... Sure..."

Marie felt Mira's hands drag down her tentacles, separating the three longest ones and beginning to tug. Immediately, Marie realised something was wrong. It didn't feel as fluid, as rehearsed. After a few minutes of random tugs and humming from Mira's end, the Octoling released the tentacles, and Marie felt all three hit her back separately. A pit opened in her stomach.

"I.. I can't remember how..."

 _The real Mira knows how. Gotcha_.

The pit deepened when the realisation hit her, followed by disgust. Retracting her tentacles, Marie stood up and stretched, checking the time on her phone. Five past six. Last night, Raaz had spoken to her at close to eleven. She had just under five hours to kill. She put on a coat and stepped outside again, walking towards the woods and stopping just before the fog that hid the looping space. Marie stepped into the mist, her view of the world fading, and she paced out twenty steps, stretching a hand forward until she felt the disturbance that sat between her and the edge of the fog. She edged closer, her arm vanishing through the fold in space, and she stood so that half of her was through, and half was not. She turned, seeing nothing but the mist. Sighing, she pulled her hand back and stepped away, still stood out of sight in the fog. Next, she thought. She pictured Raaz in her head, his blue tentacles and pink eyes. She focused on the memory, straining herself mentally until she heard whispers- Raaz's voice, talking endlessly. Grinning to herself, she thought to say hello.

" _Hello Raaz"_. she thought, and winced when his thoughts became silent for a second, and instead she heard herself echoing back.

" _That hurt. Hi."_ was the reply, one of Raaz's voices talking back to her quietly.

" _Sorry, I only just worked out how to do this."_

" _You have to speak quietly, it would seem."_

" _Right. Sorry."_ Marie thoughts for a moment before going to answer before being cut off by Raaz.

" _Good idea."_

" _What?"_

" _I said it was a good idea."_

" _But I didn't even say anything..."_

" _But you thought about it, didn't you?"_

Marie's eyes snapped open in annoyance before she went to answer. Raaz cut her off again.

" _This is going to take time to get used to."_

" _Yes. Okay. My idea? Any input?"_

Raaz's thoughts intensified for a moment, one voice taking precedence over the others. Marie listened to it, frowning when another voice joined it, a very disjointed conversation taking place in Raaz's head.

" _Yes. Babysitting? My brother won't think twice about- it will never work, he's not- and this would get Mira and Zak in the same- they will suspect something. They always-"_ Raaz's thoughts grew silent before one voice spoke back to Marie. " _Yes. We'll do that. At yours, yes?"_

" _Tomorrow, midday. I'll be at home "cooking"."_

" _Perfect. Go and talk Mira into it."_

Raaz's thoughts vanished from her senses, leaving Marie in the silence of the mist. Smiling, she super jumped back to the apartments, walking inside and calling Mira's name. She stuck her head up from the couch.

"Oh, hi Marie."

"Mira, I have a favour to ask."

"Go on."

"A friend just dropped on me that he needs someone to babysit for him. Will we be alright to do it?"

"Sure, I don't see why not."

"Great!" Marie turned her thoughts inward, quickly sending a message to Raaz. _"Midday."_

Mira suddenly grabbed Marie's arm and dragged her to the couch, pulling her onto the furniture and straddling her.

"You're going to have to make it up to me. Again."

" _GETOUTGETOUT, do not spy on me!"_

Raaz's thoughts dissipated very quickly, just as Mira pulled her in for a kiss.

* * *

The following morning, Marie and Mira swept around the apartment. Every surface was cleaned, loose items were sorted and moved. Callie had immediately left, claiming she was staying out all day. Marie had just laughed. It was one less person to account for. Following the clean-up, Marie made certain that she was in the kitchen, chopping up vegetables for lunch when the doorbell went. Quickly tucking the blade into her waistband, she answered the door, Mira standing just behind her with a friendly smile on her face. Raaz stood behind a pale blue boy, who stared up at Marie with a neutral expression and eyes as pink as his brother's.

" _The others are too far gone. There's no chance of escape for them."_

"Come on Zak, this is where you'll be staying for the day."

"Hello, Raaz."

"Hi, Marie. And I guess you must be Mira." He extended a hand towards the Octoling, who shook it. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

Zak was almost fully-formed, and he was mostly humanoid. There was a degree of liquidity to his flesh, but it was clear that he was close to gaining control of his transformation.

" _You ready?"_

Raaz ushered Zak towards Mira, who lead him to the couch.

" _Ready."_

Marie leant on the back of the couch as Raaz closed the door and approached Zak. Marie made sure she was behind Mira, and placed her hand on the handle of the knife.

"Now, you be a good boy for Miss Mira and Marie now, okay?"

"Okay." Was the quiet reply. Marie swallowed.

" _Now."_

She pulled the knife up, lunging forward, the tip of the blade approaching Mira's throat as Raaz thrusted forwards with his knife. Before either point made contact, a set of claws raked through both of their minds, causing them to scream out in pain as drop the blades. Zak's eyes locked onto Raaz, while's Mira's head twisted one hundred and eighty degrees to face Marie. She had visibly decayed, her eyes sunken and pallid and tentacles darkened. She spoke as her eyes began to slip away.

"You fools. You cannot hide your thoughts from us."

Marie forced her eyes open against the pain, forcing herself to her feet. The room was decaying too, dark fluid spreading from the corners and shadows as the dream deteriorated. Mira's eyes tracked Marie before they fell out, the Culus girl revealing herself and dragging another set of claws through Marie's mind. The Inkling lurched forward, coming close to Raaz who was backing away the best he could from the Culus boy, who had shed the form of Zak. Marie took hold of Raaz's hand, whose pink eyes stared back wearily.

"Companions will not save you."

" _Think. Repel them."_

The two Culus flinched as if they had been struck, and the illusion shattered, shards of black raining down as Marie's hand breached the surface of the tar. The first thing she realised was that she was in a different chamber to the one she had first awoken in. The second was that she was still completely naked. Raaz's hands broke the surface, his head and torso appearing. He looked at Marie.

"Nice to finally meet you in person."

The pool of tar was quite shallow, and the pair were able to stand on the floor of the cavern as well as keep their heads above water. The Culus boy and girl simply stood on the surface of the tar, their mouths upturned in a frown.

"This is unexpected."

The boy surged forward, his forearm lengthening and stretching into a spear aimed at Marie's heart. She had no time to dodge, and she brought her arms up reflexively, waiting for the point to make contact. It never did, and when Marie opened her eyes, she saw that a barrier had formed around her arms, and the point of the boy's spear was trapped in it. Grinning, she flung her arms apart, the barrier shattering and forcing the boy to take a step back. She and Raaz pushed the Culus to the side, sprinting into the caves. Marie could hear something, the faint sound of music. She followed the noise, Raaz pursuing without question. He occasionally turned to through blackened spears of his own towards the chasing Culus.

"I don't think they can defend very well against their own tar!" He shouted breathlessly, as the pair emerged in another small cavern. Before them, in the centre of the room, was a pit of tar, rotating constantly. The music Marie had heard drifted from it, and realised something.

"We were at Bluefin when they attacked us. We must be close to Inkopolis. This is the path, right?"

Raaz shrugged.

"After you."

Rolling her eyes, she went to grab Raaz's hand when a spear pinned her leg to the ground. She screamed out in pain, looking up at the Culus boy who had now reached the cavern. The girl rose from the pit behind them.

"You will not leave."

Sharpened tentacles burst from the boy's back, each one piercing one of Marie's hands or feet, the remaining length coiling around to solidify his grip. The girl approached Raaz, watching impassively as he made a break for the pit, when he drew close, similar tentacles emerged from her back and ensnared him, lifting him into the air as he struggled against her.

"We want to play."


	9. Endure (Content warning, optional)

**I see you, Mr Rowdyruff. Keep going with Octo Colours. I love the story.**

 **I didn't like this chapter. It crosses the line, so I've made it optional. The next chapter will have a summarising thing at the start. If you don't want to read the worst train of though I ever put to paper, go straight to where it says -Present- near the bottom.**

 **You've been warned.**

The Culus girl pulled Raaz towards her, grinning as his struggles intensified. He made motions with his fingers, trying to summon the tar, but nothing came. His breathing quickened, and he began to panic as the girl placed her hands on his shoulders and pressed herself against him.

"Do you want to play?"

"Let go of me, you freak!"

"You will want to play soon."

An array of much thinner, needle-like tentacles fanned out from the girl's back and pierced Raaz's flesh, the punctures dripping black as the needles were removed. He sagged, and the girl's arms grew into whips, the first crack falling across Raaz's back.

Meanwhile, the boy pulled Marie towards him, a disturbing grin on his face as a similar array of needles grew from his back. They shot forward, the toxins making Marie limp in his grasp. He dropped her to the ground, circling around her while fashioning the tar into a narrow bludgeon.

"We miss the feeling of breaking bones. Pity you can't deliver."

The bar fell on the back of Marie's left leg, the pain causing her to scream as best she could despite the toxins paralysing her. A deep purple bruise appeared where she had been struck, and the boy laughed, striking her again, the bar falling somewhere else every time, the bruises spreading across her body. She groaned with every hit, attempting to crawl towards the portal, but her body would not obey her.

"You're going to wish you stayed in the dream like the others."

Spears pushed themselves into her legs and arms, lifting her off the ground as if she had been crucified. The Culus boy looked lost in thought for a second before he grinned again, pulling Marie close to the ground and approaching, a different needle stabbing into her. Marie felt control return to her muscles, frowning when the pain caused by the spears worsened.

"What did you do to me?" She slurred, wincing at how loud she sounded. She was suddenly aware of the repeated cracks of a whip, and Raaz's screaming, painfully loud. The boy grinned.

"Something to make you more... Sensitive."

The cavern appeared to be getting brighter, and Marie heard things she wouldn't normally hear- her breathing, her heartbeat, the sound of her eyelids as she blinked. She groaned at the overload, tears streaming down her face. She flinched with every crack, the noise alone causing her physical pain while Raaz was beaten within an inch of his life. The sounds suddenly faded, as did her sight, and all feeling across her body. She collapsed, and was vaguely aware of being dragged back through the caverns by her legs.

* * *

When she regained her senses, Marie was suspended above the tar that had contained her and Raaz, and that currently contained a further four Inklings. Across the room hung Raaz, bleeding blue from a sickening number of gashes in his flesh. He raised his head weakly.

"H-hey there." He coughed, spitting out a blue mass. It dissipated in the sea of black beneath him. Her eyes could have been playing tricks on her, but Marie swore the tar drank the blood. "I g-guess we're on second base."

Marie rolled her eyes at his remarks, paying no attention to the fact that they were both completely nude. She turned her attention to the holes in her hands and feet. They hadn't healed- no doubt the work of the Culus- but were not painful.

 _Not at the moment, anyway._

"I think... Given you were a mental patient... You're taking this pretty well..." Raaz said.

"How did you know that?"

"I may have... read your mind in the... dream. Telepathic tar, remember?"

"Hmph! Rude."

They fell silent, the tar beneath them sloshing almost imperceptibly, strands of black reaching up the wall before settling into the pool again. One upwelling didn't fall back, and instead continued to grow, the Culus girl emerging from the tar. Marie glared at it. It grinned back. She walked over the tar, four tentacles vanishing beneath the surface, each probing a different location before all four converged on the same spot, raising an Inkling up- by no means was he free of the tar; it clung to him like moss might cling to a tree. The Culus girl removed the tar from his face, checking his identity before grinning. It showed the boy to Marie and Raaz.

 _The boy from the plaza_.

"We know you've seen him before. He's still dreaming of his loving girlfriend. But..." She tore away the tar around the boy's crotch, placing her own hand around the flesh beneath. "We have hijacked his love, as we did yours."

Marie retched and turned away as the Culus began to stroke the boy, the tar tilting the pair so that they were horizontal. Marie close her eyes when tendrils of black forced her to watch, and screamed when thin, sharp tentacles pulled her eyelids open, giving her no choice but to watch the situation unfold before her. She saw that Raaz had been forced into a similar position.

Below them, the girl pressed herself against the dreaming boy, grinding against him as he dreamt of an Inkling girl, not the horror that was now straddling him, grinding against him. It leant down, forcing its tongue-along with a deluge of tar- into his mouth, continuing her ministrations. Marie felt like throwing up. There wasn't many things that she thought would disturb her more than this creature eloping with someone. The Culus girl began to bounce on top of the dreaming boy, his sleeping face contorting with pleasure. His gasps became deeper and deeper, and Marie thought it would finally be over when instead, the Culus wrenched the boy from his dream, his eyes snapping open and locking into the Culus, widening in shock.

"Don't you think we're pretty?"

She slammed down on him several times, and he was tipped over the edge, mouth widening in a silent scream of horror and pleasure. With his mouth open, the Culus took the opportunity to ram a large tentacle down his throat, the boy's scream muffled by the appendage. It emerged from his behind, and he was lifted into the air for Marie and Raaz to see.

"No, don't do it, don't kill him!" Marie begged. Raaz remained silent.

Marie gasped in shock-horror when hundreds of blackened spikes burst from the boy's skin, the life leaving his eyes as his blood dripped into the pool below. The Culus' mouth was pursed with concentration, and suddenly the boy's body came apart, a large volume of blood dropping straight into the pool while the rest coated the walls of the cavern, Marie and Raaz included. The former was wide-eyed, and remained that way even as the tendrils propping her eyes open receded. She cried, quiet, panicked sobs escaping her as she tried to forget the horror that just took place in front of her. The Culus girl tilted her head in mock sympathy.

"Oh no, we've killed another one. If only you could just summon the tar to attack us. Oh." She rose up, pressing her face close to Marie's. "You can't when you're panicking like this."

It held Marie's head in place and pressed its lips to hers. Marie screamed and tried to move her head away, but was held in place as the Culus forced its tongue into her mouth. She gagged before biting down as hard as she could, a foul taste filling her mouth as the Culus recoiled before. Delivering a hard slap to her face with a tentacle, leaving a thin cut.

"Ow, Marie? Why did you bite me?" It said in Mira's voice, and Marie just spat at it. It frowned, and Marie heard a message travel through the tar. Moments later, the Culus boy rose out of the black. The girl turned to him. "Violate her."

Marie gagged and the boy grinned. He rose up to her, and Marie leant as far away as she could.

"No, no, stop! Please no! Stop!"

Her protests fell on deaf ears. The boy's face came level with hers, and it laughed. Across the room, Raaz was also objecting, and Marie saw the Culus girl rising up to him, her fingers lengthening into blades. As Raaz began screaming, the Culus boy opened its mouth, several tongues unfolding from inside. They writhed as it leaned forward, and Marie turned her head away, trying desperately to avoid her captor. It grabbed her head, pulling her with sickening strength and prising her mouth open as she protested. Her screams were muffled when it forced himself upon her, its tongues lengthening and trailing down her throat. Marie gagged, choking as they cut of her air. She coughed ineffectually, the Culus boy laughing at her weak attempts to move her hands and breathe. Her view of the world darkened, black spots congregating at the edge of her sight and spreading over her field of blue. The boy sensed her weakening, and retracted its tongues, the appendages combining into one before being pulled back into the Culus' maw. Marie gasped hungrily, drawing air into her lungs before she was thrown from the wall, hitting the surface of the tar and rolling across it as if it were ice. Behind her, the Culus boy grinned.

"We regret to inform you, this is just the beginning."

* * *

Marie was aware of being dragged through the caves by her legs again. She was awake, but far too exhausted to do anything. Her entire body was numb and rife with cuts and bruises; the work of the Culus. She was also incredibly traumatised. The Culus had had their way with her, and she had been powerless to stop them. She had been whipped, stabbed and raped, and now they were dragging her somewhere else, undoubtedly to inflict more pain and torture on her.

The boy stopped for a moment, raising an arm to something that Marie's blurred vision couldn't see. She was suddenly lifted and thrown into a small chamber, Raaz landing hard next to her. She turned her head towards the exit, watching as the Culus sealed the exit with tar. Marie's head dropped, and she cried. Raaz crawled over to her, lifted her into an embrace. She flinched at his touch, but quickly accepted the hug, her arms reaching around his waist.

"I-I'm scared, Raaz. I want to go home." She whispered through her sobs.

"So do I, Marie. So do I."

The pair sat in relative silence, only Marie's quiet weeping providing any sort of noise for the next half-hour. Both of their heads snapped to the entrance when a bowl clattered through the tar, followed almost immediately by a second. Raaz reach out and pulled both towards them, taking care not to touch the liquid inside. He eyes it suspiciously, before he dipped a finger in one of the bowls, the substance immediately turning blue.

"It's Chroma Gel."

Marie dipped a finger in her bowl, the colourless gel becoming pale green in an instant. She lifted it to her lips and drank slowly, Raaz doing the same. They were barely halfway through the substance when the tar blocking the entrance flowed apart, the Culus girl stood in the entrance with a platter covered by a lid. She tilted her head and grinned.

"We hope you're hungry..."

Marie and Raaz backed away as it approached, sheer hatred radiating from Raaz while fear radiated from Marie. With a wave of the Culus' hand, the tar formed a table, and she placed the platter on it, lifting the lid and revealing the "meal"- the head of the boy who the girl had killed earlier. Marie whimpered. Raaz remained silent out of spite of the Culus. It tilted her head.

"What? Not hungry?" She placed a knife on the table. "We're even going to let you choose what to eat."

Never dropping his glare, Raaz stood up, limping towards the table and taking the knife and cutting out the boy's tongue. He sat down again, tearing off chunks and swallowing very quickly, refusing to let the taste get to him. The girl turned to Marie.

"You next."

Marie didn't move, instead closing her eyes and shaking her head, muttering "no" to herself repeatedly under her breath. The Culus frowned.

"You will eat."

"No, no, no..."

Her gaze remaining fixed on Marie, several tentacles emerged, one picking up the knife and cutting off one if the boy's ears, and another tentacle carried it towards Marie, who backed away to the wall of the cave.

"You will eat."

An array of thin tendrils surged forward, restraining Marie and forcing her mouth open, the ear forced inside before her mouth was forced closed. She gagged, her eyes watering as she attempted to spit it out- the Culus didn't let her. She tried to swallow, but ended up throwing up, the Culus looking at her in disgust.

"What a waste. Lucky we have another."

It cut off the other ear and forced Marie's mouth open. This time, it gave her no chances- the tentacles forced the ear down her throat and directly into her stomach, retracting before it triggered her gag reflex. She gasped and doubled over, arms folded across her belly as she coughed and spluttered. The Culus crouched down before her.

"Lesson learned? Do not defy us. Do not try to escape."

Marie sobbed in response. The Culus nodded before walking out, picking up the the platter as it went. The exit was blocked once more. Raaz shuddered. Marie sobbed.

"How?" She asked after a long period of silence. "How can you just eat that, knowing it was a person?"

"Don't think about it, swallow as fast as possible."

"But..."

"Those monsters want us to break down, like you are now. They enjoy it, by the looks of it. I won't give them the satisfaction. I'd rather die."

The pair fell silent once again, and Marie held her breath several times to stop herself crying. She then moved to the tar seal, and sat down in front of it.

"What are you doing?"

"Quiet."

Raaz watched as Marie closed her eyes, hands outstretched. She began to move her fingers, a slight ripple travelling across the tar.

"They said that we can't use the tar when we're panicking. Well, now I'm not panicking. Aaaaaand..." She yanked her hand back, an opening forming in the tar. "I'm pretty good at this."

Marie took one step outside and was immediately accosted by the Culus Golem. The blades of black she had formed dissipated when she saw it, and she screamed.

"You will not try to escape."

The golem moved faster than Marie thought was possible, its fist slamming into her stomach. She doubled over, barely able to breathe. The golem picked her up with one hand and threw her into a different chamber. She hit the ground hard, rolling and coming to a stop when she came into contact with the wall. The golem looked above her, claws raised.

"You will see what you fear most."

A single dart punctured Marie's skin, and while she pulled it out, the golem retreated, tar flowing and blocking the cavern, but not the noise. Raaz head drooped when she started screaming.

* * *

Hours later, the golem returned, throwing Marie's shaking and whimpering form into Raaz's cell. He went to her, backing off when she looked at him with animalistic terror in her eyes, instead leaving her to recover for a few minutes.

"Marie."

He got no response. He sighed and waited a while longer, counting the seconds in his head but was distracted by two bowls being pushed through the seal. More Chroma Gel. He drank some of his before moving the other bowl towards Marie. He guided her hand into it to change its colour before pulling her head onto his knees, his heart sinking when she looked straight through him. He brought the bowl to her lips, helping her drink. He was distracted again when the tar flowed aside, the Culus girl stood before them again, holding a carving knife. It threw it to the ground, where it slid towards Raaz. He frowned.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I don't know." The girl grinned. "Improvise."

The creature left, and Raaz went to pick up the knife, but Marie held his other arm in a tight grip.

"Don't go... Don't go... Don't go..."

Reaching out, his fingers closed around the knife's handle, and he lifted it to test its weight. As he inspected the edge, he made a sickening realisation.

"Those... No..."

"What...?" Marie mumbled.

"The bastards want us to eat each other."

The next few days passed agonisingly slowly. No more food came through the seal, only a bowl of Chroma Gel twice a day. The hunger built. Marie had somewhat recovered from her ordeal, but was not showing much emotion at all. Raaz had considered beginning to cut off his fingers on several occasions, but could never bring himself to do it. However, the hunger was beginning to get to him. Grimacing, he placed his left hand flat on the ground before lifting the knife, the heavy blade falling towards the knuckle of his little finger. He was however stopped by a tentacle. He frowned, turning to the seal but seeing nothing there. He looked to Marie, who shook her head, her face distraught.

"Don't."

He had reluctantly put the knife down and gone another two days without thinking about it. He hadn't even looked at Marie in that time.

The next time he tried, he did not hesitate. The knife fell and cut straight through two of his fingers. He half-grunted, half-screamed while Marie questioned his actions, aghast. Picking up his severed fingers, he offered the larger of the two to Marie, who rejected it. Sighing, he ate both, retching as black tar seeped from the inside.

Days later, Marie had the knife, and was repeatedly tapping it against her fingers, lost in an internal argument. A resolution seemingly made, she cut a strip of flesh from her side and ate it, almost throwing up. Meanwhile, Raaz was sat at the door, slowly forcing the tar apart. Once he made a hole big enough, he slipped through, Marie quickly standing and running after him. They picked their way through the caves, not running into any of the Culus, and found the pit. It was closed.

"Naughty." A voice echoed from behind, followed by a spear hurtling towards Marie. She blocked it as Raaz collapsed to his knees, hands digging into the tar where the pit should be. A small hole began to open. Marie stared down the Culus boy, behind whom a wall of tar had formed.

"We're leaving."

"So soon? But we had so many things to show you."

"Marie. The pit's almost open."

The Culus boy scowled.

"You will not leave."

"Try to stop us."

The boy's expression neutralised.

"You wouldn't leave a friend, would you?"

The wall dissolved, and Marie cried out when Mira stared back at her, panic clear in her eyes even at this distance.

"Marie!" She screamed. "Where am I? What's happening?!"

The sister's eyes darkened, a withering glower directed at Culus. It tilted its head.

"You won't leave her, will you? You know what we'll do to her..."

His fingers became knives. While he was making threats, Marie darted forward, her own arms becoming enormous blades of black, extending forward past her hand and back beyond her elbow. She swung, screaming murder at the Culus. It merely held Mira up, forcing Marie to stop, the tip of her blade millimetres from Mira's throat. The Octoling grinned, a pulse of energy flinging Marie back as the illusion faded.

"We can't believe you fell for that."

The pair approached the Inklings, Marie creating walls of tar that the Culus just circumvented. She began throwing small sharpened chunks of black crystal at the eyeless duo, the shrapnel bouncing off them with no effect. Marie could feel her control slipping as panic kicked in, all of her efforts to stop the Culus' implacable walk failing. She screamed when Raaz grabbed her hand, pulling her into the pit as he threw a large sphere of energy at the ceiling, the Culus screaming grim fury as the cavern collapsed. Marie and Raaz fell through the portal, appearing above the ground in an old warehouse in Inkopolis. They moved out of the way of the falling rocks, the portal closing soon after. The pair lay there, catching their breath and recovering from their extensive use of the tar, not noticing the ring of armed officers around them.

"Marie?!"

She raised her head weakly, looking at the source of the voice. Corlu approached, her gun trained on the pair at all times. She gestured to the pile of rocks.

"What the hell was that? We heard screaming here about a week ago, and we've been staking the place out ever since. Then one of the boys noticed a "hole in the air", and now you reappear. What the hell happened?"

"Please..."

Corlu stopped, leaning in.

"Pardon?"

"Where is she? Mira? Where are you?"

Marie surged forward as if she were possessed, blasting a hole in the side of the warehouse and heading out, bellowing at the top of her lungs.

"Mira!"

Corlu turned to one of the officers.

"Sedate her. And him." She gesture to Raaz, who weakly raised his hands. Marie approached Corlu.

"I need to eat. I haven't eaten. Please, I need food, I need you I need-"

Two pneumatic bursts later, and both afflicted Inklings were out cold.

 **-Present-**

"After that, they deduced that I had two distinct phases- the emotionless one you see before you, and a manic one where I operate on instinct. And have a taste for flesh."

"What about Raaz?" Vytus asked.

"I don't know." Marie said. "I used to be able to sense him because we both used the tar in the cave. The vapour's been stopping me, and even now after being clear for all this time, I can't feel him." Her dark eyes narrowed on Vytus. "Now tell me the real reason why you're here. You're not a historian, you're an engineer. Why do you want to know my life story?"

Vytus ran a hand over his face, sighing deeply.

"Remember I said it's happened again? More Inklings have gone missing?"

"Yes?"

"I lied. Only one has gone missing."

"Who?"

He closed his eyes, his head dropping.

"Callie."


	10. Back into the Dark

**Wow, some of you liked the last chapter. However, some of you didn't, so I made it optional. The second thing you should notice is the absolutely fantastic cover I had drawn. Also, is it bad that I can write scenes of awfulness, yet cannot every bring myself to write a lemon? I think that's bad.**

"Who's there? Where am I?"

Callie sat up in the darkness, wincing and putting a hand to the back of her head. Her hand came back slick. She groaned, and stood. It was completely dark, so she felt for a wall. She leaned on the one she found.

"Hello?"

In the distance, she saw a light switch on, then another, and another, the lights slowly drawing closer and illuminating the caverns she was in. She took one step forward before collapsing onto her knees, a voice erupting in her mind.

"You have all the time in the world to escape. Do not let us catch you."

Three different viewpoints opened in her mind at that moment. She could see lines of sight from three other points, one much taller than the rest. She could also hear singing, slow and off-key. She realised that she could see herself on one of the perspectives, from behind. She turned, caught off-guard by the eyeless girl approaching her at a steady pace. Not taking any chances, she ran in the opposite direction.

 **-Present-**

"I lied. They only took one. They've taken Callie."

Marie stared out at Vytus for a few seconds, total silence inside the cell. Her tarnished gold irises darkened even further, becoming a solid black.

"Why..." She started, stepping towards the glass. Vytus stepped back. "Why did you waste your time- and Callie's- asking for my life story? Why not open with that? It would give me more time to work." Her actions became quicker, jerkier. She slammed her fists on the side of the cell, her manic phase taking control. "How long ago?"

"Half a day?"

"In that time she has suffered unspeakable horrors. Unspeakable. Hizo, my dear officer, I'm going to need you to open the door." Silence. She slammed her hands against the door. "Hizo."

She collapsed as the chamber filled with mist, the water vapour flowing from holes at the bottom of the cell. It burned Vytus slightly as it poured from the cell.

"No, I was talking to her! I need her help!"

"I can't let her out. She's a danger to herself and others."

" _Vytus_." Marie whispered, her mouth by one of the air-holes at the bottom of the cell. "If you want my help, I need you to put your finger through here."

She tapped the glass, and Vytus complied, screaming in pain when she bit clean through his finger and swallowed. A single percussive blast shattered the glass cage, the mist dissipating as it billowed around the room. Red lights immediately began flashing, accompanied by blaring sirens. She rolled her shoulders and neck, a black tendril rising above the collar of the straitjacket, the sharpened tip sawing through the different belts. She stretched as it fell away, black tar covering her body in the place of clothes. She finished chewing and swallowed, licking her lips.

"I don't suppose you'll let me have any more, will you?"

"No." He replied, keeping his voice steady despite his missing digit.

"So sad. Now then." She looked up at the siren in the room, and raised a hand to it. A blackened crystal shattered the device. She sighed as the room became quiet, apart from the sound of water vapour being pumped in.

"Hizo. You can stop pumping vapour now. It's not going to stop me."

A second pulse shattered the first glass wall.

"Alright, fine!" A voice crackled through the speakers. "Just stop smashing the walls, please. They're expensive."

The door in the next wall opened. Marie smiled.

"How sweet of you. Now to find the other."

"The other?" Vytus enquired.

"Yes. Gemini? The twins? Well, we're not actually twins, but that's beside the point. The point is, he's much stronger than me."

She stepped through the door and left the room, heading towards the nearest lift. She stopped Vytus from stepping inside and instead blasted a hole in the floor. She sent large tendrils inside the shaft, creating a support for her. She then sent another two to pick up Vytus. They descended into the facility, Marie forcing the lowest door open and standing Vytus in the corridor before stepping in herself.

"Follow me. I can sense him now."

She picked her way through the corridors, stopping before an enormous, armoured door.

"Hizo..."

"I don't have clearance for that."

"So useful."

She sprayed the door with tar, the sound of fizzing filling the air as the metal corroded and melted away.

"If you want to live, do not make any sparks."

"What?"

"Come on, Vytus. Speed up. Metal and Acid makes Metal Salt and Hydrogen."

He nodded, waiting for Marie to give the all-clear. She kicked the corroded section, the metal flying apart, creating a hole. More sirens. She rolled her eyes and shot them out when she saw them. Vytus followed her, gasping at the room inside.

They were stood inside an enormous spherical room. Equally huge magnets levitated another massive sphere. As Marie walked along the thin bridge, mist began to pour from between the magnets: the unstoppable security features of the building.

"He's at the centre."

"How many spheres are there?"

"Five."

Marie sprayed the next sphere, highly pressurised mist spewing from the holes as the metal was eaten away. Once the mist was in safe quantities, Marie moved forward and the process repeated, each sphere containing a security measure. The next contained water. The third, automatic turrets that Marie circumvented by throwing up walls of tar. The fourth had more water in it.

Inside the fifth, suspended by magnetism in a metal-capped glass cage, sat Raaz. A blue mist sat inside his cell, keeping him sedated. Vytus was still staggered by the scale of the security between Raaz and the outside world.

"Just how powerful is he?"

"Powerful enough that he can travel through solid objects using the tar."

Marie prepared a quick blast and fired it at the chamber, the glass shattering and Raaz falling. She darted forward, intending to catch him, but several tentacles- his own- broke his fall before she could. He clutched his head, groaning in the bright light.

"I don't normally get..." He trailed off as he opened his eyes, his previously pink irises similarly tarnished and darkened like Marie's. "...visitors. Marie?"

"Hello Raaz, we have a problem."

"Go on."

"Well, first and foremost, we've both been here for a year."

"Plenty of time to think and learn."

"Second, the Culus have Callie."

Raaz's eyes narrowed.

"I see."

"Follow me. There's somewhere we can stay first. Recover for a bit."

"I can't let you leave." Hizo's voice crackled through the speakers.

"Hizo, you don't have a choice."

The trio left the spheres; Raaz immediately began sinking into the floor once they were on solid ground, taking Marie's hand while she took Vytus'.

"Hold your breath, eyes and mouth shut."

He did as instructed, his hearing overtaken by the sound of liquid rushing through crevices, and the feeling of acceleration. He soon felt freezing air as they reached the surface, Marie and Raaz only just learning where their prison was.

"How far away is Inkopolis?" Marie asked Vytus.

"That way." He pointed towards the horizon. "Follow my lead."

He began to super jump, Marie and Raaz shifting form to match his speed and bearing. They landed outside the city.

"My turn." Marie said, jumping towards a specific building.

* * *

Evading the creature was exhausting. It was utterly relentless, continuing its pursuit at the same pace and always closing the gap, no matter how fast Callie ran. So far, she hadn't appeared on either of the other two perspectives, meaning whatever they were, they hadn't found her yet. She slowed her current pace, leaning against the wall and catching her breath. She was used to swinging a Roller around, but she was beginning to flag. She leant into the wall, stretching her arms above her head to help her catch her breath again and closed her eyes, ignoring the viewpoints in her head and just trying to calm herself. Then she heard it- a different noise, not singing, but instead, laughter. She looked at the perspectives- where she had heard singing when she appeared on the left view, she was now in the right view. She saw her left side, and turned towards the viewer- an eyeless boy.

"What do you want from me?"

She stood up straight, standing her ground against one of her pursuers, balling her hands into fists as it drew closer, laughing the whole time. It faced the floor, never raising its head yet heading straight towards her. Callie charged. Suddenly, when it got within two metres of her, its head shot up, the laughter intensifying as it rose up off the ground, its arms lengthening and disappearing under the surface, only to emerge and entangle Callie's legs, holding her in place as the boy approached, its arms remaining lengthened and tapered, much like a whip.

"No, let go of me! Let go!"

* * *

The sound of a knife falling against a board filled the apartment, each swing cleaving a piece from the vegetable on the board, the holder swept the pieces into a pot before moving onto the next, sighing.

 _So lonely without them._

She looked towards a picture on the window sill, a framed photograph of Marie beaming at the camera with a young girl with a massive gun and a giant of a man with a gun that only he could wield. A small, circular headpiece sat next to the photo. She sat there until a small bell ringed, and she ladled the contents of the pot into three bowls, setting them down on the table, complete with cutlery and a glass of wine. She took a seat, and wept.

"I miss you... So... So much..."

Her head bowed, shoulders shaking, she cried. Only when she heard the sound of clinking silverware did she suddenly look up. Marie was sat at the other end of the table, taking spoonfuls of the stew. The afflicted Inkling looked back, a playful, taunting expression on her face.

"I still don't understand how you get beef, Mira."

Very slowly, the Octoling stood up, rising from her seat and staring at Marie, aghast. The Inkling noticed that she was repeatedly pinching herself.

"But... You... They told me you were dead... One year ago..."

"Who told you that?" Marie enquired, a look of confusion on her face.

"The police... But..."

"Ignore them. Hello." Marie waved.

Mira lurched forward, bolting across the room and tackling Marie into a hug, bawling into her shoulder and wrapping her arms around her back and waist. Marie put her own arms around Mira, resigning herself to her crushing embrace.

"It's okay, it's okay... I'm here now."

Marie felt something in her chest, the stab of emotion she hadn't felt in so long- not since the Culus had ripped the capacity to feel out of her.

"Where... have you been... All this time?" Mira managed between gasping sobs.

"In a cage."

"But why?"

"Mental instability. I may have tried to eat someone. I can't remember."

Mira went very still.

"You... You're not going to eat me, are you?"

"Hmm." Marie mused, thinking for a second. "No, not going to eat you. Saying that, I may actually eat you... Out."

Mira screamed and flushed bright red, lightly slapping Marie on the shoulder.

"You're terrible!" She calmed down slightly, only now noticing the two men stood by the door. "Who is he? I recognise Vytus, who's the other one?"

"That's Raaz. He was taken at the same time as me."

"And you've been imprisoned all this time? Why?"

"We... It's not a table subject." Raaz said.

Mira backed away, turning back to the pot. "If you're staying, I have plenty of stew."

"Excellent. Flesh is so... Tasteless." A hand immediately flew to her mouth. "Oh dear. I really shouldn't make jokes about that."

The four of them sat down, each eating a bowl of Mira's stew. Once everyone had finished, she cleared the crockery away, leaving the table empty. She leaned forward.

"What happened to Callie?"

"Hmm." Marie held up a finger, finished chewing, and swallowed. "Vytus tells me she was taken by the Culus. We need to get to her as soon as possible, but there was no way that was happening with Raaz and I running on empty. I can actually do things now I've had a proper meal, no just uncontrolled bursts of energy." She ordered the tar clutching to her to form armour, the liquid setting in thick plates. Mira was stunned.

"I thought that was just a bodysuit... But you can control the tar? How?"

"Not a table subject." Raaz repeated.

"Take out word for it. It wasn't pleasant. Both of us have stopped feeling emotion to a degree because I the trauma we went through down there. If we don't hurry, Callie will end up, at best, like us and at worse, dead." Marie stretched, the tar becoming slick again. "I think we'll stay the night though. We need to be fully rested before we attack. Find a place for-"

She was cut off by sirens from outside. Flashes of blue and red could be seen flickering around the window. Marie looked down sheepishly.

"Marie, what did you do?"

"We may have broken containment."

"So you broke out of prison."

"Pretty much. I'm going to have to knock you out."

"What? Why?!"

"Because then you won't be charged with harbouring us. Don't worry, I'll make it painless."

"Hurry back."

Marie pursed her lips. "Yeah."

She directed a concussive wave of energy at Mira, and it carried her backwards a short distance before dropping her unconscious form to the ground. The rest of the apartment was undamaged.

"Raaz, if you'd be so kind..."

The Inkling took hold of her and Vytus, sinking into the floor and flowing down the inside of the walls, into the ground beneath the police's feet. It felt different this time, like the ground was offering less resistance now that Raaz had eaten. They surfaced a good distance away, in the treeline. Shrugging off the excess tar as it was pulled back to Raaz, Marie turned to Vytus.

"Now then. Where was this place? Cameroon, was it?"

"I have the coordinates, but we'll need a helicopter to get there. It'll take a good few hours to get there."

"What about the warehouse where the original Culus portal was?"

"That's toward Walleye. Well, I think it is based on what I read."

"Good."

The trio super jumped, watching the world rush past below them. Flashing lights filled the streets, and in the distance, Marie could just pick out the flash of yellow tape spread across the entrance to Flounder Heights. She was forced to look away as they finished their arc, hitting the ground outside a complex of warehouses of which the first was Walleye. Vytus winced.

"Which one was it, Vytus?"

"I can't remember."

The afflicted pair glared at him, Raaz rolling his eyes.

"Shit. We best get searching then."

* * *

A hole opened in one of the walls of the cavern, a tentacle throwing Callie out and delivering one final lash before vanishing. She hit the floor, lying limp for a few second as her entire body screamed with pain; she too screamed, but it came out as a hoarse moan. She forced herself to her feet, ignoring the hundreds of bleeding lashes that covered her. She whimpered as she walked, any movement causing some of the lashes to open, causing even more pain. She leaned heavily into the wall as her head ached, the perspectives reappearing and the haunting laughter beginning almost immediately- the boy was close. There was no way she was getting close, not after what she just went through. She ran as long as she heard laughter, only slowing when it no longer echoed around the tunnels. She tried to catch her breath, unable to lean on anything due to her wounds. Looking up to head on again, she realised that the tunnel tapered off before her, a small hole in the ceiling telling her all she needed to know. She had to go upwards.

She pressed herself into the corner the best she could, another moan escaping her as the movement caused some of her cuts to open again. She pushed up, climbing the wall with ease despite the agony such movements caused her and stood in the corridor above, beginning her search for the exit anew.

* * *

"Damn, there are far too many warehouses here."

The trio stood around a crude map of the estate, a large number of boxes representing the different warehouses. They hadn't even bothered with the one marked with the turf war emblem- that was Walleye, and not what they were searching for. A number of the warehouses had crosses through them. They had been searched, to no result. Marie rubbed her eyes, sighing.

"I'll go and search another row. You two do whatever."

Marie picked her way through the roads around the warehouses, searching the vast expanses for any sign of the incursion made one year ago. She knew that the longer she took, the more pain Callie had to endure, and that was not something she could deal with. Marie watched Raaz flow through walls in the next row, his power speeding up the process considerably. She watched as he entered a warehouse, appeared on the other side and went to move on before he stopped, heading back into the warehouse. Marie ran towards him, heading inside and immediately being overcome by a headache.

"This is... Familiar."

Some of the tar covering Raaz uncoiled, tendrils of black converging on a point in the air as Vytus ran into the warehouse.

"You've found it?" He watched Marie send a pair of her own tentacles towards Raaz's. "I guess so."

The two of them strained, attempting to step backwards against a resistive force.

"It's been closed. It was much easier to open from the other side."

The pair took another step apart, and Vytus saw a hole begin to form in the air. The afflicted duo's tentacles curled around the edge, getting a better grip before pulling again, the hole widening to about half a metre in diameter.

"Just a bit more..." Marie spoke through a gritted beak. She raised her arms in front of her and quickly swept them out to the side, her tentacles mimicking the move and jerking the hole open another half-metre. Raaz leaned forward, shaking off the aching in his limbs.

"Back into the heart of darkness..." He turned to Marie. "After you."

* * *

Inside the caverns, Callie ran. Behind her, laughter. Laughter that always seemed to draw closer no matter how fast she ran. Up ahead, the cavern branched in two directions. Making a quick decision, she decided that she'd take the left tunnel, but she rapidly slowed down when the sound of singing drifted from the tunnel, the Culus girl stepping out of the tunnel and blocking Callie's path. It giggled as it approached, forcing the Inkling to take a step back. She turned and ran, hoping that there was some unseen tunnel she passed while running. To her deepening dread, there were none- she was trapped in a tunnel between the boy and the girl. The pair of monsters closed in, always keeping their deliberately slow pace. They raised in unison, their arms plunging into the ground. Callie had not chance to evade the hands that burst from the ground in a spray of dirt, and was restrained, facing the boy. The girl's arms reached around Callie's body, the song she sang never missing a beat even as she slowly began to cut the remaining clothes from the resisting Inkling. Callie bowed her head, waiting for the torture to begin. The first lash fell across her back, causing her to scream out. A second, third and fourth met their mark, fresh wounds opening across Callie's back. Suddenly, the boy stopped laughing, and the girl stopped singing; Callie looked up and saw that their malicious grins had been replaced by neutral confusion, and then anger. They stared at an unseen entity before growling and disappearing into the walls. The hands around Callie's arms and legs receded, and she staggered forward, trying to move her back as little as possible.

 _What's going on? What's drawn them away?_


	11. Return to the Light

**This is the final chapter. Enjoy.**

As soon as the Culus had moved away, Callie had ran, heading down the left tunnel, her heart soaring as she felt the incline increase. She didn't know how deep underground she was, but she knew that if she kept heading up, she would reach the surface. The pain from her wounds forgotten, she kept on running, taking a random assortment of turns and almost running head first into a wall. She slowed rapidly, looking up and seeing no hole in the ceiling. Groaning, she turned around and walked back to the nearest branch in the tunnels, and picked a different one.

* * *

Marie, Raaz and Vytus appeared inside the caverns. For the former two, it brought back a rush of memories; remnant agony that haunted them to this day. For Vytus, he groaned as his foot sunk into the tar. The pit in the tar closed, trapping them in the caverns. Marie lifted Vytus above the surface.

"You don't want to touch this stuff."

Raaz's covering of tar bristled, growing into thick plates as the Culus Inklings rose out of the black in front of them. Marie grew armour of her own.

"Back so soon?"

"We thought you were contained."

"We were." Marie boasted. "Now we're not."

The boy looked at Vytus, inspecting his entire body. Its sight fell on his missing finger, and it grinned.

"Oh, that's a fresh wound. Beak marks? One of them ate your finger, didn't they?"

"I willingly gave it to Marie."

The boy's grinned widened.

"You ate flesh! We didn't completely waste our time after all. You're as bad as us now."

"I think you're missing the part where we-" Marie swept a hand towards herself, Vytus and Raaz. "Don't kill children. However, we can make an exception."

Raaz surged forward, attacking the girl while Marie and four tentacles opened fire on the boy. The hail of black crystal hammered into the shield it formed, its other arm vanishing into the ground. Marie jumped out of the way as it burst from the ground and attempted to grab her, and she shot at the unprotected limb. The Culus boy winced and retracted it.

"How? You've been imprisoned. How can you be stronger?"

Marie simply tapped her head, smirking before launching another salvo of crystal.

Raaz and the girl battled with fierce speed. Both had boosted themselves into the air on their own tendrils, and were now ducking and weaving huge distances as they dodged lightning fast swipes and thrusts. The pair were equally matched, each ones speed and ferocity just as strong as the other's. A strike from the girl bounced off Raaz's armour, and the plates repaired themselves. His right arm became a blade and cut into the girl's shoulder, the flesh and sinew stitched itself back together.

Vytus wasn't sure how to react. Four anomalous entities were duking it out in close proximity to him, and he had no powers to speak of. He was frightfully aware of how easily any of the four individuals fighting could end him. However, he was behind Marie at all times, her shields protecting him from any stray shots. He wished he'd brought a weapon with him.

Without warning, Vytus was suddenly thrown across the cavern as the boy swept around Marie and stabbed at him- all of the tendrils missed as he was tossed aside, and he was caught by Raaz, who barely missed a beat in his fight, flawlessly moving Vytus through the clash while also fighting back, the powerless Inkling remaining uninjured. Marie moved to intercept the boy, who was now targeting Vytus specifically. As it went to stab him, a shot knocked its thrust wide, some of Marie's tentacles trailing in the tar, drawing more of the substance in to use as ammo. Her tentacles raised up again, and she barrelled into the boy, attacking it with a ferocity that Vytus was not expecting. Swipes and thrusts were punctuated with blasts of crystal, a few hits making contact while the Culus tried to block. It scowled and dropped into the tar. Marie couldn't dodge as it burst from directly beneath her, coiling around her limbs and restraining her. The tar grew barbed, clawing at her flesh once her armour cracked under the strain. Wincing, she released a weak pulse of energy, the blast having just enough force to dislodge the boy. She threw it aside and ran into the caverns.

 _"I'm going after Callie."_ she sent to Raaz.

 _"No. I'll go. It'll be faster."_

Marie had no time to argue as Raaz vanished into the floor, dragging Vytus with him. The Culus Inklings turned their attention to Marie, their tendrils coiling furiously.

* * *

Callie ran through the caves, panic now setting in. When the Culus had vanished, their perspectives had remained open, an inky blackness replaced by a view of Marie, Vytus and another boy she did not know. The centre perspective remained as a view of the tunnels and, worryingly, the sound of heavy footsteps was drawing ever closer. She watched in her mind as Marie and the boy she did not know fight the Culus, Vytus being thrown between the two to keep him out of danger. He soon disappeared from the fight all together as the unknown vanished into the ground. The Culus immediately shifted their attention to Marie, and Callie redoubled her running as a result, scrambling through holes in the ceiling as she came to them.

She almost ran straight into a massive creature when she turned a corner, its enormous frame bent double in the limited room. It stared at her, a low laugh escaping its tattered throat. Its hands hit the ground, knuckles down, a tremor passing through the tunnel as two appendages appeared behind Callie, trapping her in with the Golem as they flattened out into a wall.

"No!"

Callie hammered against the black crystal with her hands, driving her shoulder into it several times in a futile attempt to break the wall. The Golem chuckled again.

"Lost little thing."

Callie shifted, attempting to swim up the crystal but immediately being repelled by the darkness and reverting into her humanoid form. She stared at her hands in confusion, no longer able to shift.

"What have you done?"

"We find this makes you more... Containable."

Once again, hands sprung from the ground; each took hold of a limb, pulling Callie onto her knees. The Golem shuffled forward, inching closer very slowly due to its bulk being pressed against the cavern walls- dust fell as it moved, filling the air and making it difficult for Callie to breathe. On closer inspection, she could see tar dripping from the Golem's innards, and through its torn flesh, she could see that the source was a heart, twisted and tortured by eons of life. Its eyeless face stared at her as its remaining jaw contorted into a smile. Callie felt movement, first on her feet, but soon she felt it on her shins, a heavy wetness travelling up her legs, reaching the rest of her body and engulfing her torso and neck. As black fingers crawled up her face, her protesting cries were cut off, darkness spreading across her vision. Just as she was about to fade completely, something flitted across her vision, a powerful force wrenching her from the tar. She barely registered her current speed in her semi-conscious state, but quickly realised her mouth and nose were covered by a viscous liquid. She hoped and prayed that whatever had held of her released her where she could breathe.

The rushing of liquid was suddenly replaced with the stale air of the cave. Callie sucked in gasps of air, thoroughly revolted by the remnant feeling of the tar on her legs. She looked up at her rescuer, frowning when a boy covered in tar stared back at her with dull pink eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Raaz."

"Who?"

"I'm a friend of Marie. Come on, we'll get you out of here."

He stepped forward, reaching toward her shoulder. She backed away.

"No, no. These things have already tortured me. What makes you different?"

"I have eyes, for a start. And I would've left you with the Golem if I wasn't trying to save you." The tunnel shook with tremors. "It's coming. We need to leave, right now."

Raaz gave no chance for Callie to protest. He gripped her shoulder and dragged her into the wall and up, emerging in the out chamber, at the far end, terrifying Vytus who was pressed against the wall. As soon as he saw Callie, he embraced her, managing to keep his composure. A smile cracked Raaz's features when he saw that the Culus boy looked slightly worse for wear, resting by the entrance to the cave covered in wounds. It adjusted the position of its hand and Raaz saw that there was a large gash through its stomach, the flesh struggling to regenerate. An unholy screech filled the cavern as Marie impaled the girl, a blade that extended from her arm punching clean through the creature's body. Marie threw it next to its brother, her left arm reverting to normal while she raised her bladed right arm up to head height, poised. The Culus glared at her.

"Do it." The boy said. "Do it! End us!" Marie approached, but faltered as it bowed its head. "We died here. Free us." It lifted its head sharply, staring back at Marie, who was taken aback by the dull, lifeless eyes that had emerged on the boy's face. "Free me!"

Closing her eyes, Marie thrust forward, her blade breaching the remaining organs in the boy's chest. A single, long with escaped his lips, his life following it as his body collapsed and dissolved. She then moved to the girl, piercing her vitals with a single precise stab. She sighed and dissolved. Raaz began opening the pit, prising the gap in space apart while Marie reverted, her limbs becoming normal and her armour thinning. She ran over to Callie.

"I am so glad you're okay."

"Just about." Callie grimaced, and Marie saw the large number of cuts covering her cousin.

"We were too slow, weren't we? I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to go through that."

"It's alright. I'll heal."

"Marie." Vytus said. She looked at him. "Thank you. I don't know what I expected when I found you in that cage, but... You've saved Callie. Thank you."

Marie waved a hand dismissively. Behind them, the pit opened.

"You two to home. Raaz and I have something to finish real quick. Go straight-"

Her speech was cut off by a grunt, and she faltered. She collapsed onto her knees, inspecting the enormous blade that protruded from her chest.

"Marie! No!"

Tentacles entangled Callie and Vytus, Raaz hurling the pair into the pit before a pulse of energy from the Golem sealed it. Marie sobbed, collapsing onto her side as she grew cold, her processes slowing. A roar of rage echoed around the cavern, Raaz propelling himself across the room, an array of sharpened spikes ready to lacerate the Golem. It raised an arm, plucking him out of the air before impaling him much like Marie and throwing his limp form beside her.

"Useless. You shall not become my disciples. You will suffer for this."

As it approached, Raaz pushed himself to his feet, moaning in pain as each movement twisted the blade slightly. His arms became heavy blades, and he limped forward. Behind him, Marie began to absorb tar, the vile substance pushing the blade from her body and repairing her organs. She too pushed herself up, crawling forward on her side towards Raaz. The Golem stared at them impassively, a look of distaste on its face. As Raaz surged forward, tendrils raised, the Golem caught them in one hand and pulled, pulling Raaz off balance before swinging with its other hand, shattering the appendages; Raaz went wide-eyed, pitching forward and screaming again as the pain hit him. He writhed in agony, unable to move even as the Golem raised its foot to crush him, the exposed, yellowed bone wreathed in barbs of tar. As the limb fell, Marie hurled herself forward, grimacing as she impacted with the leg, knocking it aside and saving Raaz. The force of landing knocked the blade back into her chest, and she too found herself incapacitated by the pain.

"This endless hope of victory... Allow me to crush it."

The pair were lifted into the air, the blades pulled from their bodies before they were hurled against the walls of the cavern, where they stuck, hand in hand. Before them, the Golem straightened up, drawing up to its full height in the cavern, striding towards them. As it pulled its arm back, Raaz pulled Marie into the wall, flowing up to the surface as the Golem roared in frustration. The pair burst onto the surface, forcing themselves to their feet, supporting each other and taking care to stay far away from the edge of the lake that lay nearby. The Golem appeared in the mouth of the cave, lumbering forward.

"You will find no shelter. There is no place you can hide."

"Who... Says we're hiding?" Marie responded weakly. "All you do is stand there and look menacing. You don't actually do anything. You're not even that much more powerful than the children."

"I assure you, my power stretches far beyond what you have seen already."

Marie's expression darkened. "You best do your worst, because we're going to give you a free ticket to Hell."

The Golem stared at her.

"So be it."

Its tentacles surged into the ground, ripping a hole on space and grasping at a figure on the other side. A circle formed around the trio next, completing itself as the Golem pulled Mira through from Inkopolis, kicking and screaming. The hole closed and, following that, space bent, the circle expanding what would be far across the lake, yet they stayed on dry land. Marie watched as Mira was lost in the distance, securely in the Golem's grasp. The Inkling growled, calling on a mass of tar to surge through her body and repair her, practically overflowing with the dark substance. She leant forward and ran, crossing the circle as space expanded against her. She found herself off-course and drifting from the centre of the circle, so she adjusted her course, her speed increasing as she crossed the centre of expansion and accelerated with space, closing the gap between herself and the Golem. When it came into view again, Mira was no longer in its grasp; instead, she was suspended above the circle, desperately mouthing a message to her. Marie couldn't make it out, and instead headed straight for the Golem, blade raised. As she made contact, the Golem disappeared, and a heavy kick from behind sent her reeling, into a ring of floating circles.

"You want to see power?"

The circles flashed, shards of bone spraying from the circles like razor rain, cutting into her from all sides. Her armour began to crack, her defences failing under the onslaught. The rain stopped and Marie immediately came under attack again, the Golem hammering her with its fists before throwing her into the centre of the expanded circle. In one fluid motion, he threw her, caught Raaz, slammed him into the ground and threw him too, watching them struggle to their feet before allowing space to contract, accelerating forward at an unprecedented speed, fists outstretched- both connected with an Inklings' jaw, knocking them down again with a sickening sound. The Golem stood above its prey, calling Mira's floating prison towards the scene.

"Observe, the futility of hope that the flesh has."

Marie attempted to crawl away, but a quick gesture sent barbed spears into her hands and feet, breaching her armour and pinning her in place Mira breaking down into tears at the brutality before her. Raaz began to regrow his tentacles, but another wave shattered them again, the pain crippling him. The Golem stood at the edge of the lake as the Inklings writhed before it.

"Pathetic. Did you really think you had any chance of striking me down? A pair of pseudo-Culus like you only have a shred of my power. Even if I were to be destroyed, fledging Culus in the caves will finish the task. We will not be denied."

Marie pressed against the stake pinning down her right hand, sliding her hand up despite the pain it caused her. The Golem watched, allowing her to free her hand and fire a large spear of shadows at it, simply sidestepping to avoid it, the projectile flying out over the lake.

"Really? A spear? Such a crudely formed weapon cannot-"

Upon hearing the spear impact with the rock face around the lake, the Golem stopped, slowly turning to face the lake. Across the lake, a section of the rock face fell away, crashing beneath the surface and sending waves across the water.

"You... You have disturbed Nyos..."

For a few moments, there was nothing. The Golem threw Mira towards Raaz and Marie before bracing itself in the mouth of the cave. Then, with a deafening boom, the lake exploded, a wall of water rising twenty five metres above the ground and swamping the shore- Marie and Raaz formed a solid barrier around themselves and Mira, their shell carried away by the water as the Golem screeched in fury, unable to hold back the colossal weight of the water. It collapsed, the water now free to fill the caves and wash away the corruptive tar.

"You... Foul creatures! You shall expire here for your mistake!"

The Golem dissolved completely, its black heart dashed to pieces on the rocks as it was thrown through the cavern. The trio's shell broke on dry land, the three of them standing shakily. Marie rubbed her head.

"Is... Are we alright? Safe?" She managed, breathing heavily.

"I think... We are. We should..." Mira gasped. "...really find a way... To... Breathe..."

The Octoling collapsed, her breathing slow and shallow. Raaz also succumbed, collapsing onto his side. Marie fell to her knees, embracing Mira while she still could.

"What... Is this..?"

"I think..." Raaz started. "Is gas from... The lake..."

Marie listened despite the blood pounding in her ears, hearing no birds or other animals. Nearby, tar began welling out of the ground. It coiled furiously. Mira followed Marie's line of sight, and shook her head quickly.

"No... I don't want you to... Become a monster for me..."

"Shut up."

Marie released a quick blast, driving away the air and inhaling what little oxygen returned to her before turning to Mira.

"I am not letting you die here."

She ordered her tentacles into action, opening a very small hole in the ground, rending space apart to form a corridor to Inkopolis. The rift frayed at the edges as it grew, its instability apparent. Mira gave a pained smirk.

"You're... Not the best at this? Are... You?"

"No. But Raaz has... Already passed out."

True to her word, Raaz had indeed succumbed to the invisible gases surrounding them and was breathing very shallowly. Marie swore and redoubled her efforts, dragging Raaz into the portal first. As he cleared it, it destabilised, shrinking to a pinprick. Marie swore again, having to start from scratch as Mira choked beside her. A tear formed in her eye, her desperation returning some semblance of emotion to her.

"I can see him now..."

"What?"

"Him, the giant... He's so... Friendly..."

Marie turned to Mira, who had her hand outstretched upwards, reaching for something that she could not see.

"No!"

Marie screamed as the arm fell limp, and she caught it in her own hands before it hit the ground.

"Mira, damn it Mira, you have to wake up. Come on..."

When she got no response, Marie felt only one emotion. She sobbed, tears rolling down her pale, sunlight-deprived face. She turned to the tar, and flung her arms wide.

"You have taken enough from me. I will not let you take her!"

The black surged forward coiling around her and lifting her into the air. Marie shuddered as it entered her body from all angles, her sight changing and senses sharpening. The substance released her, and she fell to the ground, barely hesitating before opening a hole again.

* * *

When Mira awoke, she was in the apartment she had called home for the last year, clothed in her bedclothes. She had a banging headache, which only intensified as she sat up. She groaned, looking around the room and catching sight of an envelope on the bedside table. Carefully opening it, she read the contents, gasping and furiously dressing herself and sprinting out of the building, to the confusion of Callie and Vytus. Picking her way through the streets of Inkopolis, she reached the woodland path, slowing down as to not trip over any roots. Picking her way through the trees, she reached the clearing- the clearing where she and Marie had first met each other, and where the two of them had seen the Culus up-close. A lone figure was sat on the bench, looking towards the trees. Mira knew it was Marie, and she quietly approached and sat down.

"What happened?"

"What can you remember?" Marie asked, not turning to face the Octoling.

"I remember being suddenly pulled through a portal, and an exploding lake... I remember choking..."

"That's pretty much it."

"What happened? How did we survive?"

"I opened a portal, and threw you and Raaz through before following."

Mira looked around the clearing.

"Where is Raaz?"

"He's in Shast's shelter. I can sense him there. He must have volunteered to help out."

"That's good… those people need it."

"Yeah. Back to normal again."

Mira noticed the crack in Marie's voice, the faint waver that gave away her deception. She lifted an arm to the blindfold she wore, pulling the fabric away and crying out when there were no eyes beneath.

"Marie, no! I told you not to become a monster for me..." The Octoling trailed off, breaking down into tears. Marie embraced her, leaning the side of her head on the top of the Octoling's.

"I didn't have a choice."

"You could have let us die..."

"You know I couldn't do that. Listen, Mira, I have to leave. I can't stay here with no eyes, it'll cause a panic. Going on TV like this is right out. I'm going, Mira."

"Don't be stupid!" She snapped, taking Marie aback. "Wait here." An extended glare told Marie that she should do as she was asked. Mira placed her hands first on the top of Marie's head and beneath her chin, then on either side of her head. She then super jumped away, returning almost an hour later.

"That took a while."

"Yeah, yeah. Close your-" she caught herself. "Don't look."

Marie did the equivalent of closing her eyes, her sight fading into black. She felt Mira put something over her face, clipping it in place behind her head.

"Okay."

Upon restoring her sight, she saw Mira holding up a mirror, showing Marie her new face- she was wearing a beautiful mask, carved in a white material she didn't recognise. It was a simple half-mask that covered only her eyes, an intricate starburst design covering the space where her right eye should be while the left side was blank- instead, several green and grey feathers and ribbons adorned the left side, fashioned into the shape of a wing.

"If the top half of your face is going to cause a panic, you don't have to leave. Just cover it up."

"What is this mask made of?"

"Something called ivory. I had it customised slightly."

"I don't understand how you find these things."

Mira giggled, tilting her head to the side and smiling, before extending a hand.

"Come on, we deserve a normal life after all of this."

Marie took her hand, allowing the Octoling to lift her to her feet and lead her out of the woods, into the warm light of day.

 **And there you have it, folks. I gave you a happy ending, I figured you deserve it for reading this. Maybe now I'll actually get round to finishing Memory's Prison.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Aura, out.**


End file.
